Waking Legends
by Black Rose 2014
Summary: Fili never put much stock in the legends of his people. So when he becomes the legend, he is more shocked than anything else. However, since it brings him closer to Kili, he really can't complain all that much. They're quickly discovering, though, that the supernatural world can be dangerous if you're only human. Fili/Kili not related. Werewolf!AU
1. Chapter 1

I am refusing to call this a Twilight AU because it doesn't follow the Twilight story. It just borrows certain elements of the Twilight universe and twists them to serve my own purposes. The werewolves and vampires in this story will resemble the ones in Twilight, but will be a little different as well. You don't have to know anything about Twilight to enjoy the story, and I doubt you'd even have to like it to enjoy it.

Chapter One

Kili sighed as he leant heavily on the counter and eyed the clock that hung on the far side of the store. It had been a slower than usual day in the tiny general store on the reservation. Ever since Bombur had had to give up selling gas, there just wasn't much to draw customers in. And with the larger (and cheaper) supermarket in Dale only ten miles down the road, there was little wonder why business was so slow.

Not that Kili was counting down the minutes before he could go home. The unpleasantness of home aside, what kept his eyes on the clock was something else entirely. Something, or rather some _one_ who always dropped in sometime after five but never later than six.

However, seeing as how it was only 4:45, he had a bit of time to wait.

So he was understandably surprised, then, when the little bell over the door rang and he looked up to see Fili smirking at him from the other side of the counter.

"I see you're hard at work," he teased, leaning a hip against the counter as Kili straightened up.

"It's been dead all day," he replied with a shrug, having long since gotten used to keeping calm while his heart tried to leap out of his chest. And thankfully, Fili's unusual blue eyes smiling at him like that now only made him stammer stupidly a quarter of the time instead of _all_ the time. "This keeps up and Bombur won't be able to keep me on."

He was only half joking about that. He had been working part-time for Bombur ever since he was fourteen and had come to depend on his small amount of income. But Fili didn't need to know all that.

"We can't have that," Fili said, smirk on his face and flashing one perfect dimple at him. "Then who would I talk to before inevitably going home to wallow in my loneliness" he continued with a wink.

Kili had to stop himself from staring dumbly at him. It really wasn't fair that he was so gorgeous. The sharp contrast of his russet skin and his golden blond hair and his bright blue eyes made a stunning combination. Add to that the muscles that were always more than evident under the oil-stained t-shirts he worse, and Kili could definitely be excused if it still caught him off-guard even after knowing him for so long. Especially when the older man teased him like that.

He mentally shook himself before scoffing. "I'm sure you'd manage just fine without me."

Fili looked as if he were about to say something further before he shook his head. He grabbed his usual candy bar before reaching into the drink cooler on the side of the counter to grab a Snapple.

"That gonna be it?" Kili asked with a knowing smile. Fili came in every day and always got the same thing.

"Yep," the blond confirmed with a grin, already pulling out a wallet from his back pocket.

"$2.75," he told him, punching the numbers into the old cash register. He took the three dollars Fili handed to him, ignoring the stupid way his heart wanted to flutter when their fingers accidentally brushed.

He really had to stop silly reactions like that if he didn't want Fili to find out about his ridiculous little crush and stop dropping by. He was nearly eighteen years old, for crying out loud! He was too old for hopeless crushes. It was time he grew up and faced reality.

"Here ya go," Kili said pleasantly, forcing out of his mind all other thoughts and handing Fili a quarter back.

Fili winked at him as he took it. "Thanks. See you tomorrow?"

Kili fought down a blush as he smiled and shrugged. "I'll be here."

He sighed as he watched Fili walk out. He didn't stop staring through the glass door after him until the blond disappeared into the mechanic's shop across the street. He was glad there was no one else in the store with him. That meant there was no one there to see him sigh after Fili like a love-struck little girl.

He shook such thoughts out of his head and decided to sweep the store just for something to do.

Still, he thought as he grabbed the broom and tossed one more look at the shop across the street, the thought of seeing Fili again the next day would help him get through the first day of school tomorrow.

That was something at least.

#

Fili groaned as he stopped to lean on the wall of the shop. Another dizzy spell. He had been having them off and on for the past week, but today it had been particularly bad, causing him to close up shop early.

Maybe he shouldn't have made the trek to the general store, but after feeling pretty lousy all day, he had wanted to see Kili before he went up to his apartment above the shop. It had been over a year since he had begun visiting the shop daily in order to see the handsome brunet, and he wasn't going to miss one over whatever stupid summer cold he had managed to catch.

He held tightly to the railing as he climbed the stairs to his apartment, barely summoning enough energy to life open the hatch. He let it fall shut behind him with a _thud_ and made straight for his bed and collapsed heavily.

His mother, he knew, would have been pestering him to go see a doctor if he still lived with her. That knowledge, though, just made him more grateful that he had converted the storage space over the shop into an apartment shortly after graduating from Washington State last year, once it was apparent that he was going to be staying in Erebor longer than he had planned.

Fili had been all set to continue his education and get his masters in mechanical engineering. His Uncle Thorin, though, had asked him to come back to Erebor for a short time, and Fili hadn't been able to say no.

That short time had turned into more than a year, but Fili really couldn't begrudge the time. There was always help to be needed by someone on the reservation. His uncle, as chief, had always done his best to take care of their people, even outside the official day-to-day duties of his position. However, after his uncle's accident a few years ago, his mobility issues had made it difficult to do everything he had done before.

And with how Thorin had stepped up and been like a father to him after his own had died, helping him out now was the least Fili could do.

Besides, if he hadn't come back, he'd never would have met Kili.

Of course, he had _known_ about Kili. On a small reservation like Erebor, it was hard not to know about any scandals that rocked the community. And a pregnant girl from the Ered Luin reservation claiming the father was Khuzdul and demanding to be taken care of was a scandal by anyone's definition.

Thorin, because he hadn't wanted to see the girl or her child suffer, had given them a place to live on the reservation. However, in order to protect the secrets of the Khuzdul tribe, he had arranged for Kili to be enrolled in school in Dale.

It seemed a little silly to Fili, but Thorin, and many of those in his generation, were ridiculously superstitious when it came to the tribe's legends.

Admittedly, he had always been a little curious about the younger boy. After hearing his mother rant about the outrage of "that Ered Luin girl" giving her son a name so similar to Fili's, he really couldn't help it. But his curiosity had turned into something… different… when he laid eyes on Kili the day after he had opened re-opened his dad's old mechanic's shop.

Considering how the Khuzdul had basically ostracized him, though, Fili was certain Kili would want nothing to do with him. Maybe he'd eventually build up the courage to ask him out anyway, but it would have to wait for another day.

He felt a headache building behind his eyes and he groaned again, flopping over and burying his face in his pillow, kicking the blankets away as the heat became unbearable. If he wasn't better by tomorrow, he decided he would go see a doctor. This felt like something more serious than a summer cold.

#

Kili groaned as his alarm went off at 6:30. He shut it off quickly out of habit, not wanting to wake his mom if she had come home last night. She had been spending more and more nights in Laketown, though, so it was a good chance that she hadn't.

He stumbled into the shower, letting the hot water cascade hit his face and wake him up. He stood there for a few minutes before sighing and reaching for the shampoo. Once he was clean, he jumped out the shower and dried off quickly, scrubbing his hair vigorously to get as much moisture out of it as possible.

He threw on the first clothes he could grab that were clean before throwing his still damp hair up in a messy bun. Unlike everyone else on the reservation, he never braided his hair, not even a simple, single braid to keep it back. Kili might not know the meaning behind the different braids the Khuzdul wore in their hair, but he knew the braids _did_ have meaning. A lot of the people on the reservation already resented his presence there enough, he wasn't about to antagonize them further by wearing braids he shouldn't.

There were times he wanted to chop off all the long, thick hair. It would be easier to maintain, and would help him fit in better at school. But in the end, though, he still couldn't help but hope for acceptance by the Khuzdul one day. They'd never consider him one of them if he cut his hair short.

He shook those thoughts from his head before checking the time. 7:00. Good. That gave him half an hour to eat breakfast and pack a lunch. School didn't start until 8:30, but it took him about 40 minutes to bike to the high school in Dale. On a good day, he could make it in 30, but if the weather was rainy or especially cold, it was closer to 45. When he first started biking to school at age ten, it had taken him well over an hour to get there. Thankfully, it hadn't taken him too long to speed up.

He put a couple pieces of bread in the toaster before slapping together a peanut butter sandwich with another couple slices. He debated making two, knowing biking back and forth would making him ravenous, but his bread was running low and he wouldn't have any money to buy more until Friday.

He'd just have to make do, he decided, grabbing his toast as it popped up. As it was, he'd probably have to forego breakfast for the next couple of mornings. He should have considered school starting the last time he went shopping, but oh well. He could last for a couple of days.

It was a nice day, cloudy as always, but in the 70s and not raining, making his morning bike ride pretty easy. He got to school with time to spare, managing to find his homeroom with no problem and settling into a seat in the back corner.

Kili silently watched his classmates filter, slightly envious as they greet each other enthusiastically and talked about their summers. Sure, he knew that most of their friendships wouldn't last past graduation this year, but they were more than he had ever had. The kids from Dale had called him the reservation reject ever since he had started kindergarten, and the moniker had stuck. Sure, some of them treated him better than others, but no one bothered to actually be his friend.

He had always wondered if he would have able to make friends had he been allowed to go to school in Erebor, but he didn't like to dwell on that. It wasn't like it mattered anyway.

A boy he didn't recognize slipped quietly in the seat next to him about five minutes before the bell was due to ring. Kili glanced at him surreptitiously, taking in his tan skin, dark hair, and green eyes and coming up blank as he tried to figure out who he was. The tan, though, was throwing him off. Surely he wasn't a new student. No one ever moved to the tiny town of Dale.

Just as he was beginning to accept that apparently someone _had_ moved to Dale, two more new students slid into the desks in front of him and the other boy. These two Kili _knew_ were new because there was no way he would forget their faces. They were… intimidatingly beautiful.

The girl in front of him had long red hair and when she turned to smile at Kili, he couldn't help but stare. He wasn't even _interested_ in girls and she made his stomach do flip-flops. Golden eyes twinkled mischievously as she shot a glance at the boy who had come in with her, who had the same eyes and was equally pale with long dark hair.

"Hi!" she greeted enthusiastically, looking between Kili and the other boy with a grin, revealing perfectly straight, white teeth. "I'm Tauriel Mirkwood. This is my boyfriend Elrohir Peredhel. We just moved here with our foster parents."

Slightly surprised that the two weren't related, Kili didn't react for a moment.

"I'm Bain Bowman," the other boy introduced himself, giving them a tentative smile. "I'm new too."

Bowman. Kili knew that name. "Any relation to Chief Bowman?" he asked curiously.

Bain gave him a tight smile. "My dad," he answered.

Kili didn't press him, even though he was sure there was a story there. Their classmates (and their parents) were probably wagging their tongues enough about the police chief's son moving in with him. Kili knew how uncomfortable it was to have people gossiping about you.

"And you are?" Tauriel inquired, golden eyes on him once more.

"Kili Oakley," he answered.

Elrohir laughed. "Oakley? Like Annie Oakley? How quick is your draw? Please tell me you know someone named Buffalo Bill."

Kili blinked at him while Tauriel just rolled her eyes. "You'll have to excuse him," she said with a shake of her head. "He's an idiot with a Wild West fetish."

"You love me," he shot back at her, still grinning.

"Lucky for you."

Kili shared a look with Bain, who looked as unsure about the two teens in front of them as he was.

Thankfully, the bell rang then and Mr. Gibbons called for the class to take their seats. As roll was called, Kili wondered absently how long it would take for these new students to decide to have nothing to do with him. Even if two of them were a bit… odd, Kili would have liked to have friends.

#

Fili woke up later than he intended. His head had mercifully quit pounding, but he still felt as if he was on fire. He wasn't sure what woke him up until the vibrating of his phone registered in his mind.

"'Lo?" he mumbled.

"Still not feeling well?" Thorin's deep voice asked.

Fili groaned and threw an arm over his face. "Mom make you call to get me to go see a doctor?"

Fili's mother, Dis, was pale, blond, and tiny, barely a head taller than Thorin when he was sitting in his wheelchair. Still, she was a force to be reckoned with. It was little wonder the Khuzdul people had accepted her so readily after she married Thorin's brother Frerin.

"She may have mentioned you were ill," Thorin replied dismissively. "But I don't need an excuse to call my favorite nephew to see if he is alright."

"I'm your only nephew," he muttered.

"How do you feel?" his uncle asked, ignoring him.

"Hot," he said with a groan. "Don't need a doctor though."

"No," Thorin said seriously. "You need to go outside."

"Wha?" Fili asked in confusion, wondering if the fever was finally getting to him. "Outside?"

"I'm serious, Fili." He certainly sounded serious. "You need to get outside. Go behind the shop and into the woods so you can't be seen from the road."

"You're finally cracked, old man," he mumbled with a shake of his head.

"Trust me, Fili. You'll thank me later when you don't ruin your apartment."

Not really in the mood to argue with his uncle, he rolled out of the bed and stumbled downstairs and out of the backdoor of the shop. He made it just past the woods and leaned heavily against one of the trees.

"Now what?" he asked Thorin.

He heard his uncle sigh. "Just wait there for a while. It'll happen soon."

" _What_ will happen soon?"

"You wouldn't believe me I told you," he replied. "You never did take the legends of our people seriously."

" _Please_ tell me you didn't make me get out of bed over some silly superstition," he begged with a groan.

"Just stay there, Fili," Thorin ordered in exasperation. "And try not to lose yourself, okay?"

"How would I lose myself?" he asked, but Thorin had already hung up.

Superstitious old man, he thought as he leaned his head back against the tree. He was about to walk back to the shop when he doubled over as sharp pain pierced every part of his body. He fell to his hands and knees with a gasp, vaguely registered a ripping sound through the pain.

He looked down at his hands and balked as he saw _paws_ instead. _Large_ paws covered in golden fur.

What was happening to him?

When the pain receded, he stood up on _four_ legs. What was he? He screamed in horror and heard a howl of a wolf from somewhere close. With a start, he realized the howl _was_ his scream of horror.

Panic seized his mind, and he _ran_.

Tbc…

Well, that's the first chapter! Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Kili didn't have any other classes that morning with the new students he had met earlier. Given his reputation as the reservation reject, though, he was sure that they would wise up and find other people to hang out with.

Which is why he was supremely surprised that, after he had snagged an empty table in the corner to eat his meager lunch, the chairs on either side of him were nearly immediately filled by Tauriel and a blond boy he had never met.

"Hello again, Kili," Tauriel said with a grin. "This is my foster brother, Legolas Greenleaf."

Legolas had the same golden eyes and strangely beautiful features that Tauriel and Elrohir sported. Kili frowned, though, at the odd way Tauriel had introduced him. Who bothered giving their first and last names in such an informal setting? She had done so earlier, too, now that he thought about it. He had gone alone with it, but it was still a little weird.

It was almost like she wanted to stress that they all had last names and were _not_ related. Though how they could look so similar and not be related was a mystery to Kili.

There was something… strange… about them.

"Hello," he told them both, looking from Tauriel's grin to Legolas' scowl. Apparently the blond had found him offensive from just the one word. He probably had heard whatever rumors his classmates were spreading about him these days and didn't want to be near Kili, which was fine by him. Anyone who'd blindly believe stupid high school rumors wasn't anyone he cared to be friends with anyway.

Legolas' face smoothed over and he gave Kili a friendly smile. "It's nice to meet you, Kili."

"Good, you two have met!" Elrohir chirped happily as he led Bain to their table, followed by another boy who was identical to Elrohir.

Given what Kili had already seen of Elrohir's… exuberant… personality, he wasn't so sure he'd be able to deal with _two_ of them.

"This is Elrohir's twin, Elladan. Don't worry, he's nowhere near as much trouble as Elrohir," Legolas informed him as the other boy settled down on the other side of him, unknowingly answering Kili's silent concerns.

"I think we're all going to be great friends," Tauriel stated with certainty as she eyed the sandwich Kili pulled out before shooting Legolas a look.

Kili felt a little uncomfortable sitting between the two of them as he forced himself to eat his sandwich slowly despite his roaring hunger. It felt as if they were having a conversation with their eyes that only they could understand.

"Don't mind them," Elladan said, voice so similar to his brother's but his calm tone making it sound so different. "They tend to forget about the people around them sometimes."

Tauriel broke away with an indignant sound. "That makes us sound like horrible people, Elladan!"

"So tell me, Kili," Legolas asked, cutting off whatever Elladan was about to say to Tauriel in reply with a long-suffering expression. "Why don't you go to school with the other Khuzduls in Erebor?"

Kili froze with the last bite of his sandwich sticking thickly in his throat. He swallowed and cleared his throat. It was a valid question, he supposed. And it wasn't as if any of them _knew_ his story. Hell, only a couple of people outside of Erebor _did_. The Khuzduls were a private people.

"My mother is from the Ered Luin reservation and isn't Khuzdul," he explained. "She claims my father was, but absent proof, the Khuzduls felt it better if I went to school in Dale."

His new friends looked outraged, but to his surprise, it was Bain who spoke up first.

"They _ostracize_ you just because you're different!" he cried, looking incensed on his behalf. "How is that fair?"

"They don't ostracize me!" Kili protested vehemently. "The Khuzduls have been nothing but good to me. They got my mother our house and helped her get a job. They've always treated me the same as any other kid on the rez."

"But they don't let you go to their school," Elladan pointed out with a frown.

"They teach the tribe histories and language there," he said with a shrug. "No one who isn't Khuzdul can learn them."

"Your mother's word about your father isn't enough?" Tauriel asked.

Kili snorted and shook his head as he thought about his mother. To be honest, _he_ didn't even believe her when she said his father was Khuzdul. His mother would be the first to tell a lie if she thought it would be to her advantage. Of course, he couldn't tell them _that_.

"I can't blame them for protecting themselves," he said instead. Especially when none of them knew how bad things were for him. "So what brings all of you to Dale? Five new students in one day has to be a record for this school."

The fact that they all were sitting with _him_ at lunch rather than anyone made the situation even more surreal.

"Our foster father just started working at the local hospital," Legolas answered promptly, as if sensing Kili's desire to change the subject. "He grew up in a small town and always wanted to get back to one to work."

"My mom got remarried," Bain volunteered with a shrug. "I didn't really get along very well with her new husband so I decided to move in with my dad."

Kili was sure there was more to Bain's story than he was saying. Who switched schools their senior year unless they had to? However, it really wasn't any of his business. It wasn't like Kili was volunteering the sordid details of his home life, after all.

"Ugh, why did I even buy this?" Tauriel asked suddenly, looking down at her tray in disgust. Kili blinked down at the food, not sure what problem she had with the slice of pizza, apple, and lemonade. It looked _mouthwateringly_ good to him. She slid it in front of him dismissively. "Kili, eat this. Save me from consuming these body-ruining calories!"

He looked uncertainly at the food now in front of him. "Are you sure?"

"Considering she had about five pancakes and six strips of bacon for breakfast, I'd say she could afford to skip lunch," Elrohir teased.

" _Quite_ sure," she sniffed, glaring at Elrohir.

Considering it would be the first hot meal he had in _forever_ that wasn't Ramen noodles, he didn't question her decision anymore. Maybe his stomach wouldn't be trying to eat itself when he got to the store for his shift. He tried to eat the food slowly, both to savor it and so he wouldn't look like he was starving, but he wasn't sure how successful he was.

"Why didn't you get on with your stepdad?" Elrohir asked Bain rather tactlessly, steering the conversation back to the other boy.

Bain, for his part, didn't seem to mind though. "He didn't particularly take my coming out very well," he remarked casually, though glancing around the table with a sharp eye as if to gauge their reaction to the knowledge.

Kili was happy to note that none of the others seemed to have a problem with it. That explained why he decided his dad would be easier to live with. It was a pretty open secret in Dale and Erebor that the police chief spent his off-nights with tribe's chief.

"If you're waiting for us to gasp in shock and shun you, you'll be waiting a while," Tauriel quipped with a smile. "Elladan and Legolas are similarly oriented. Legolas' situation is quite similar to your own, actually."

The blond shot her a narrow-eyed look, not appreciating her telling his story no doubt.

Kili was just about to take a bit of Tauriel's apple when Elrohir fixed his eyes upon him. "And you, Kili? No problem with that, right?"

"Of course not!" he said with wide eyes. He bit into the apple quickly, not sure he was willing to admit he was gay himself. He had never really come out to anyone. Then again, he never really had anyone to come out to before. It wasn't as if his mom had ever cared. Fili shot through his mind, but he internally shook the thought away. Fili was just an unattainable dream.

Deciding to take a chance, he swallowed before adding, "Besides, I'm gay too."

Tauriel raised her eyebrows in surprise before they immediately puckered into a confused frown. Before she could say anything, though, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

Her shock was puzzling to Kili, but it shrugged it off. Maybe she just prided herself on having a good "gay-dar."

He had Biology II after lunch. He was pleasantly surprised when Bain followed him to the classroom and sat down at the same lab table as him. It looked like this year, unlike the year before when he had Bio I, he would have a lab partner.

"The others are a tad overwhelming, don't ya think?" Bain asked as he pulled out a notebook and pencil.

"Tell me about it," Kili agreed, glad that he wasn't the only one who thought so. He wasn't sure if his lack of social interaction had just made him overly sensitive.

"They seem nice enough though," the other boy said with a shrug. "Ridiculously attractive though."

Personally, Kili didn't think any of them held a candle to Fili, but he could see the appeal. "Those eyes are kinda freaky though," he commented. "I've never seen a shade of brown quite that golden before."

"Yeah, no way they're not all related somehow," Bain said.

Before they could say anything more, though, Mrs. Billings called them to attention

His last class of the day he had with the Peredhel twins, Tauriel, and Bain, and it was, to his dismay, gym. Not that he minded gym generally, but having to go through gym class followed by a long bike ride home was going to _suck_.

The first day was, unoriginally enough, dodgeball. Kili was grateful, though, because that meant he could just let someone hit him out early on and then sit in the bleachers for the rest of the game. He wasn't sitting there long before Tauriel joined him.

"I think Elladan has a little crush," Tauriel said with a smirk, tipping her head toward the game. Kili followed her eyes to where one of the twins, he'd take Tauriel's word that it was Elladan, was playing alongside Bain. "See how he's catching all the balls that come near Bain? It's kinda adorable."

Kili rolled his eyes, sure neither boy would appreciate the word "adorable." Still, he couldn't deny that she had a point. Elladan _did_ seem like he was protecting Bain from the balls of the other team.

"So what are you doing after school?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I have work. I take the afternoon shift at the general store in Erebor every weekday and then work every other Saturday." He had tried to get Bombur to let him work _every_ Saturday, but the man was stubborn in his belief that Kili deserved some free time to have fun.

Tauriel pouted. "I was hoping you could show us around town."

"I wouldn't be much help," Kili told her with an apologetic smile. "I don't spend much time in Dale outside of school."

"So what's Erebor like?" she asked. "Do you like it? What do you do for fun there?"

"I spend most of my free time at the beach," he said. "There's a small strip of it near my house that's kinda hidden behind a cliff and is usually deserted. It's a great place to go and read or just think." It was actually where he spent most of his time when he wasn't at the store.

She smiled at him. "It sounds lovely."

The dodgeball game ended soon after that and the coach excused them and told them to hit the showers. Kili stayed where he was. Even if he had stayed in the game long enough to work up a sweat, a shower wouldn't have done him much good with him having to bike home afterwards.

He was out the doors as soon as the bell rang, wanting to get well on his way before the buses started to pull away from the school. Biking around the large yellow monstrosities always made him a little nervous.

Kili made it to Bombur's store in good time. He paused for a few moments to catch his breath before he walked in.

"Kili!" Bombur boomed out his name in greeting with a happy grin. Kili gave him a smile in response, his boss's jolly demeanor infectious. "How was your first day of school?"

"Good," he replied, surprised that it was actually true. "Have many customers today?"

"A couple this morning," he answered with a frown. "Not many after that. Business has been rather slow lately. Anyway, I have to be off. The missus will be going crazy with all the kids getting off school."

Bombur and his wife had ten children. The oldest, Bofur, was in his early twenties, while the youngest, Bifur, was barely out of diapers. It was Bifur's impending birth that had prompted Bombur to give Kili a job working part time at the store. Kili only hoped that Bombur would be able to afford to keep him on for the rest of the year.

He didn't see many customers his shift either, which was great because it allowed him to focus on his math homework. His Trig teacher was evil, he was sure. Why else would he give homework on the first day?

Kili was distracted from his sines and cosines, though, as the clock ticked ever closer to five. Once five had come and gone, he couldn't help but glance at the door every few seconds.

He was probably more disappointed than he had any right to be when seven o'clock, closing time, rolled around and Fili still hadn't shown up. There were a million reasons why Fili might not have been able to come by. And it wasn't like he had promised to come by and see _Kili_.

Still, it was with great dejection that he locked the door to the store before counting down the till and putting it in the safe. He packed up his stuff and gave the floor one last sweeping. With a sigh, he turned the lights off and left the store, locking the door behind him as he left.

It was thankfully a short ride to his house. With a cringe, he realized his mom's car was in the drive and he could see the light of the television flickering in the living room window.

He steeled himself before walking in through the kitchen door. He peeked around the corner into the living room and sighed in relief as he caught sight of his mother passed out on the couch. Better passed out than yelling and throwing the empty bottle at his head.

Kili took a look in the fridge to see if maybe she had gotten any groceries, but no. The shelves were just as bare as ever. In fact, upon inspection of the cupboard, he saw that she had apparently finished off the last of the bread and peanut butter that he had been planning on making last for the rest of the week.

There was still a lone packet of Ramen in the back of the cupboard. He knew that she wouldn't touch that. He debated whether or not he should eat it tonight or save it for tomorrow. He wouldn't get money for more food until Friday.

With a heavy sigh, he closed the cupboard. He had eaten a good lunch today. That was enough for him no matter what his grumbling stomach said. And since he had no prospects for lunch _tomorrow_ , he knew he'd be starving by the time he got off work. It was best he saved the last of his food until then.

Despite all that had happened today, the good and the bad, the thing that worried him most as he turned in early for the night, was Fili's absence. Not seeing the blond made him feel _empty_. Like he was missing something vital.

It was stupid, he knew, this weird connection he felt to Fili. There was no rhyme or reason for it, and there was no way it was anything but one-sided.

He knew it would be for the best if he just put it out of his mind, but he just _couldn't_.

His stupid heart wouldn't let him.

#

Fili didn't know how long he had been running. It could have been hours, days, _weeks_ even. Time had stopped having meaning for him. He was barely aware of anything. He wasn't sure where he was. He wasn't even sure _who_ he was at the moment.

All he knew that there was something in him, some deep instinct, that was pumping through him, driving him to keep running. He was more wolf than human. Maybe he was never meant to be human. Maybe he was always the wolf. It was starting to be difficult to remember what being human even _meant_.

The part of him that was still _him_ balked at that, panicking and sending his fight-or-flight instinct roaring through him. But there was nothing to fight. He couldn't fight the wolf. The wolf was _him_.

He didn't understand it. He had been _him_ when he woke up that morning. But had it been that morning? He didn't know anymore. But he _had_ been human. He didn't know how to get back to that though, not with the wolf's instincts running through him. He was losing himself to the wolf.

And the wolf was running, reacting to Fili's panic blindly. Fili didn't know how to stop it, which only made him panic _more_.

And the wolf kept running.

Tbc…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Three weeks went by without Fili coming into the store, and Kili was thoroughly depressed.

It was stupid to let it get to him. He _knew_ that. Hell, his life had probably _never_ been better. The aching loneliness that had always been a constant in his life was gone practically overnight. Without even noticing it, his new friends had slotted into his life with more ease than he had thought possible.

His days at school now began with meeting his friends at the picnic tables in the school courtyard about thirty minutes before the bell for homeroom rang. Kili didn't even have to wake up any earlier, really, because he had started making much better time with his biking. It helped that Elladan apparently had a passion for baking and always brought some type of pastry for breakfast.

The other kids at school had taken to giving them all strange looks, but Kili was pretty sure it was just because they were wondering why the gorgeous new students were hanging out with the likes of _him_. He knew that he and Bain were pretty much the envy of the entire student body.

Not that it mattered to _him_. Bain, though, was having a tougher time with that, because it had become obvious to everyone that was there was something more than friendship brewing between him and Elladan.

Kili had stopped bothering bringing a lunch altogether. It seemed like one of his new friends always seemed to have a reason to not eat after they already bought their lunch and always pushed their tray in front of him.

He wasn't an idiot, of course. He knew that they were doing it by design, just like he knew that the breakfast pastries were mostly for his benefit. He wasn't sure how much they had figured out about his home-life, and he didn't really want to know. If they never said anything about what they knew, and he never acknowledged their acts of charity, then at least then he could maintain his pride.

After school, he would load his bike in the back of Bain's pickup and they would head to Bombur's store together. It was an odd place to hang out, maybe, what with Kili technically working, but Bombur didn't mind and Bain was more than happy to spend his day lounging about the store with him.

"I'm not doing anything I wouldn't do at home," he had pointed out. "There's wifi here, and this way Dad doesn't feel guilty about spending time with Thorin if I'm on the reservation too. I hang out with you, then I have dinner with Dad and Thorin, and then I drive home before the two of them can start doing anything I don't want to see or hear."

"What about your boyfriend?" Kili had asked.

Bain had smirked at him. "My boyfriend is why I don't mind leaving Dad with Thorin and going home alone."

Kili left it alone at that. He was grateful for the company at work. It kept his mind off of who _wasn't_ coming into the store.

Still, despite how grateful he was to be accepted by them, he could not help but feel that there was something that his new friends weren't telling him. It was in the odd things they sometimes said. The meaningful looks they shared. The tiny smiles at the inside jokes…

If it had just been the twins, Tauriel, and Legolas, he might have been able to overlook it. After all, they were family and were obviously close. But lately _Bain_ had been in on it as well. Understandable because he was dating Elladan but…

He knew he should just be grateful that they were all his friends and not worrying about what they were keeping from him, but he was starting to feel a bit left out.

It was a feeling he should be used to by now, but it still hurt.

"So your birthday is next week, right, Kili?" Tauriel asked him at lunch on Friday.

He gave her a surprised look. "Yeah… How'd you know that?"

"You told us a couple of weeks ago," she stated as she slid her tray in front of him with no comment.

He frowned. "No, I didn't."

He was positive he hadn't. There would have been no reason for him to tell them. It had been on his mind a lot, obviously. He was turning eighteen. Before the school year began, he had been toying with the idea of dropping out once he turned eighteen. Just picking up and leaving Erebor and Dale far behind him. Maybe go to Seattle. Get some shitty little apartment and a job or two that would keep him fed.

The only thing that had stopped him from making plans had been Fili, as pathetic as that sounded. And in the end, he knew that he'd have a far better chance of making it on his own if he actually graduated. It wasn't like his grades were bad or anything. He never had much to distract him from his studies so he usually got B's, with the occasional A or two. He could probably get into college. Maybe get a scholarship or at least some student loans.

And now that he actually had friends at school, sticking around didn't seem too terrible, especially since they made sure he had two semi-decent meals every day during the week.

Still, with his indecision over what to do, he _definitely_ wouldn't have mentioned his birthday.

"That's not important," Elrohir said impatiently. "What is important is that we are having a party."

"That's not necessary," Kili protested, slightly panicked. He didn't have money for a party. Besides, no one had ever celebrated his birthday before. Why bother now?

"Of course it's necessary!" he argued, looking around the table for support.

"You're our friend and we'd like to celebrate the fact that you're alive," Legolas said matter-of-factly. "You might as well give up. Tauriel and Elrohir have already made up their minds."

"It's very hard to stop them once they're set on something, especially if they're working together," Elladan added sympathetically.

Kili still wasn't too sure about the idea. As pathetic as it might be, he had never really been to a party before, let alone a birthday party and let alone one for _him_. What if he screwed it up? What if he ended up alone again?

"It wouldn't have to be a big thing," Legolas pointed out, shooting Tauriel a glare that told Kili that _Tauriel_ probably thought it most certainly _did_ need to be a big thing. "It could be just us. Dinner and cake at our place, and then we could spend all night watching movies or playing games or something."

"And presents!" Tauriel chimed in enthusiastically.

"No presents!" Kili vetoed immediately. If they got him presents for his birthday, he'd feel terrible when he couldn't do the same for theirs.

"The presents are the best part!" Elrohir said in a scandalized voice.

"No presents," Legolas agreed, much to Elrohir and Tauriel's displeasure. Kili shot him a grateful look. "We'll do it next Saturday."

"I have to work."

"We'll do it after," Elladan said with a shrug.

"Yeah," Bain said with a smirk. "We'll make a night out of it."

Kili rolled his eyes. "I see how it is. You'll use my birthday to spend the night with your boyfriend."

"Like I need an excuse for that," he scoffed.

"Too much information," he said, shaking his head and taking a bite of pizza.

"You're just jealous _you_ don't have a gorgeous boyfriend to spend the night with," Bain teased.

Kili forced himself to _not_ think of Fili and just shook his head at his friend's words. There may have been some truth in them, but then again, what would he do with a boyfriend if he had one? His life was pretty shit. Who'd want to be a part of that?

"Speaking of birthday parties," Bain said casually after lunch as they walked to Bio II. "I have a favor to ask."

Kili shot him a questioning look, not really sure where this was going.

"Well, Thorin's birthday is tomorrow and apparently it's a big thing and all of his family and friends are going to be there and Dad is going to be there and he wants _me_ to go and I don't know anybody from Erebor except for you and Thorin so…"

It took a moment for Kili to realize what Bain was trying to ask with his rambling, but when he did, he didn't even think about his answer.

"No."

"Come on, Kili, _please_?" Bain begged. "For me? I need someone there I know."

"Why not ask Elladan to come with you?" he suggested.

He sighed in frustration. "The Khuzdul don't like Elladan's family and don't allow them on their land."

That was news to Kili, but then again, it wasn't like he was in the know on any Khuzdul customs. But still…

"I _can't_ ," he told him earnestly, trying to ignore that pleading gaze. "I can't gatecrash the chief's birthday party. And showing up with me isn't going to help you make friends with Thorin's family."

"You wouldn't be gatecrashing!" Bain argued. "I already asked Thorin if you could come and he seemed happy with the idea!" Kili gave him a disbelieving look. "Okay, I think he was mostly happy I wasn't asking if _Elladan_ could come because he knows we're dating, but still! The fact remains that you're totally invited!"

Kili bit his lip. On one hand, he understood Bain's trepidation of going to a family event and only knowing his dad and Thorin. On the other hand, though, he was _terrified_ of going and having the Khuzdul look at him like he didn't belong.

Maybe he was just fooling himself, but he liked to believe that the tribe accepted him despite his dubious parentage. Growing up, he had had to hold onto that. With his Dale classmates intentionally shunning him and his teachers giving him pitying looks, it was all he really had, as he had known at a very early age that his own mother considered him a hateful burden.

But the Khuzdul had always treated him with kindness. Bombur had offered him the job at the store with no reservation, and the customers that they had, back when they had _had_ customers, were usually nice enough.

When he was younger, he had dreamt that a Khuzdul man would come home to Erebor day from traveling around the country, with intricately braided hair and an impressively full and stereotypically _Khuzdul_ beard, and he'd take one look at Kili and claim him as his son. Then all the tribe would celebrate that Kili _was_ one of them, and his father would marry his mother, who would finally realize how much she loved her son and they would all live happily ever after.

It was dumb, and he had known on some level that it would never happen, but it was what he had held onto late at night when he went to bed hungry because his mom had forgotten to feed him.

To find out that the Khuzdul were as uncaring as most of the rest of the world was towards him would hurt more than he cared to admit.

"I don't know…" he said.

" _Please_ , Kili?" Bain asked. "Thorin's sister-in-law is going to be there and the things Dad tells me about her kinda scare me."

"Well, you make it sound like so much fun," Kili said sarcastically before he realized what that meant.

If Thorin's sister-in-law was going to be there, then surely his _nephew_ would as well. He hadn't seen Fili in _weeks_ , and though he knew there was a pretty good chance that the blond would do no more than acknowledge his presence with a smile and a nod, he couldn't really pass up the chance to just _see_ him, even if that just meant watching him out of the corner of his eye all night.

"Fine, I'll go," he replied, trying to sound as put upon as possible even though he was now looking forward to the event.

Bain grinned at him. "I promise you won't regret it!"

Kili most certainly _was_ regretting it as soon as Bain and he turned into Thorin's driveway. Considering the cars already there and the number of people Kili could see spilling out of the back of the house, they were obviously among the last to arrive. The prospect of walking into that house seemed more terrifying now that the moment had arrived than it had yesterday at school.

Bain seemed to share his trepidation, though why the other boy was so nervous was beyond him. It's not like any of the Khuzdul would pass judgment on _him_.

"Come on," Bain muttered as he opened the driver side door and got out. Kili was quick to follow him as he walked up to the door and opened it without knocking.

"Bain! Kili!" Bombur immediately greeted them both from an armchair near the door as they walked into the living room. While Kili was grateful to see a friendly face, he wasn't so sure he liked the fact that his boss had just announced his arrival so loudly.

Still, he gave the older man a smile. "Hey, Bombur. How's it going?"

"Fine, fine," he replied casually.

Any further small talk was cut off, though, as Chief Bowman walked out of the kitchen and grinned at the sight of them. "About time you two got here. Come on," he said, gesturing towards the dining room. "Thorin wants to meet you, Kili, and both of you have to meet Dis."

Kili shot Bombur an apologetic look before following Bain and his dad nervously. Before they could reach the table, though, a small, blonde woman cut in front of their path with a dish piled high with hamburgers. Her eyes, a very familiar blue color, shot him a look so full of disdain that it nearly took his breath away.

He had to fight against the impulse to run away, wondering just what about him she found so objectionable. He was wearing his best pair of jeans and his best t-shirt. Neither of them were that great, but they weren't considerably worse than what Bain was wearing. He had even made sure to shave his stubble extra close to make sure no one thought he was trying to pretend to be Khuzdul.

"Kili, meet Thorin Durin. Thorin, Kili," Bard introduced as they approached the table. "And next to him is Balin Fundin, Gloin and Oin Durin, and Dori Miner."

"Nice to meet you, sirs," he said politely, not really knowing if he was supposed to address Thorin as "Chief" or "Mr." so erring on the side of caution. It wasn't the first time he had seen Thorin, of course, but it was the first time he had seen the man in his wheelchair. The visible handicap didn't seem to detract from the sheer presence of the other man, though. The other men at the table were equally familiar, as they all sat on Thorin's Council.

"No need for the 'sir,'" he stated firmly with a kind smile. "Thorin is just fine. I'm glad Bain invited you. I've been meaning to check in on you and your mother for a while now, but I can't get around as well as I used to. I'm happy to see you seem to be growing into a fine young man."

Kili gave him a shaky smile, not really knowing how to respond to that.

The blonde woman from before came back in carrying a large bowl of potato salad. "Alright, boys, shut up and eat up!" she announced.

"Bain, Kili, this is my sister-in-law Dis," Thorin told them.

She turned to look at them with a critical eye before sticking her head out of the backdoor. "Boys, dinner!" she called.

A group of five boys thundered into the house. There was a rush towards the food and somehow, Kili had no idea how, they all managed to squeeze into the dining room to eat, though Bain and he, along with all the other younger men, were relegated to the floor to eat their dinner. Kili squeezed himself into a corner with Bain on one side of him and a china cabinet on the other. The others sprawled out on the floor on the other side of Bain.

"I'm Bofur," the one nearest Bain said cheerfully. "And that's Nori, Ori, Gimli, and Dwalin."

They all shared the russet-colored skin and long dark hair typical of their tribe. Bofur had his hair braided in two long braids and sported a rather large handlebar mustache and goatee.

Ori and Nori were obviously related and both had a touch of red in their dark hair. Nori, the older of the two, had his long beard braided meticulously into a tri-part style, while Ori's beard was just growing in.

Gimli, though, who appeared to be the same age as Ori and younger than Kili, seemed to have been much more blessed in the beard department, though he, too, had a subtle reddish tinge to his hair.

Dwalin, clearly the oldest by far out of all of them, had shaved his head completely, an oddity in the Khuzdul culture, but still sported an impressive, yet unbraided, beard.

"I'm Bain, and this is Kili," Bain replied in a grateful tone.

Kili tried to smile even as he shrunk into the corner further, not comfortable with the curious looks the others were giving him, though none of them seemed hostile, so that was comforting at least.

"Nice to meet you," Ori said politely before glancing around. "Why isn't Fili here?"

Kili jolted a bit at the name but tried to play it off so as not to seem weird. It had, of course, been something he was wondering about as well. He kept his ears open for the answer as he refrained, just barely, from shoveling his food into his mouth.

"Thorin says he's off on some survival training ritual thing that he has to go through to take his place on the Council," Dwalin explained before taking a large bite out of his hamburger.

"I've never heard of such a ritual," Gimli huffed.

Nori rolled his eyes at him. "Well, you aren't part of the Council, now, are ya?"

Before their squabble could get out of hand, Dis turned and gave them a glare, causing them all to become very interested in their food all of a sudden. She then turned her head to look at Bain.

"Bain, I hear you're dating one of the Peredhels," she stated, not even bothering to pretend it was a question. Bard shot her a scowl, but Thorin and the other councilmembers seemed extremely interested in Bain's answer.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied in a curt but polite voice.

"Which one? There are four that go to school with you, correct?" she pressed.

Kili frowned in confusion before he realized that she must be referring to Legolas and Tauriel as well. He guessed it made sense to collectively call them the "Peredhels," as he was sure they had mentioned that both of their foster fathers used that name.

"Elladan, one of the twins," Bain answered coolly, his chin tilted up as if daring her to question him further. Kili noticed that Thorin and the others were giving each other furtive glances, while the others on the floor with them just looked at the other boy with a hint of awe in their expressions.

It wasn't Dis, though, that spoke next.

"You shouldn't get involved with that family, lad," Balin advised, not unkindly. "They are dangerous."

"I am aware of what they are and what they are not," he stated firmly. "I've never been safer than when I am around Elladan, I assure you. No one in that family would ever hurt anyone. Ask Kili if you don't believe me."

The eyes of the room shifted to him, with Dis looking like all her worst thought about him had just been confirmed.

"Kili, are you friends with that family as well?" Thorin asked him gently, nothing but concern in his eyes.

Kili was beginning to think that there was something very significant that he was missing. He shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny and shrugged helplessly. "They've been nothing but nice to me," he mumbled, not wanting to deny his friends but _really_ not wanting the entire tribe to have him branded as a traitor. Especially when he didn't understand _any_ of this.

Before Thorin or anyone could question him any further, Bard cut in. "That is _quite_ enough," he said with finality. "Thorin, I know what you and your people believe about the Peredhels, but there is no evidence that any of them have ever hurt anyone. If Bain wants to date Elladan, well, I'm not going to stand in his way. And none of you have any right to tell Kili who he can and cannot be friends with."

None of them really looked happy at that, but they quickly changed the subject. As soon as the older adults at the table turned their attention away from them, Bofur looked at Bain and Kili eagerly.

"So is it _true_?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bain replied airily, concentrating on his hamburger. Their eyes shifted to Kili.

"I really _don't_ know what you're talking about."

They seemed disappointed at his ignorance and Bain's steadfast silence, but the conversation quickly turned to other things. Kili really didn't feel comfortable there anymore, though, as it was more obvious than ever that he didn't belong.

He was grateful, then, when Bain decided to head home early and offered to drop him back at his place.

"So what _were_ they talking about back there about the Peredhels?" he couldn't help asking as they pulled into his driveway. His mom's car was once again absent. She hadn't been home all week so he really wasn't that surprised.

"I can't tell you, Kili," Bain said with a mournful sigh. "It's not my secret to tell."

"Okay then," he said, accepting the answer for what it was. It was probably none of his business anyway. "I'll see you Monday?"

He gave him a smile. "Yeah, see you then."

Kili woke the next day with the sun shining in his face through his window, a rarity in the normally overcast climate. Deciding to take advantage of the weather, he ate a piece of toast for breakfast before throwing on some old cargo shorts and a t-shirt and pulling his hair back into a messy bun. He stepped outside and tilted his head up to bask in the sun for a moment.

A sudden odd feeling in the air caused him to snap open his eyes and scan the woods around him for any movement. It was odd, but he had the sensation of being watched.

Shrugging it off, because who would bother watching _him_ , he set off at a leisurely walk down the path that led from his house to the beach on the other side of the reservation. It wasn't really a short walk, but the path stretched through a nice, secluded area of the woods and the walk always left him with a sense of peace.

Well, on the way _to_ the beach it did at least.

Still, because his house was further south than the others on the reservation, the beach closest to him was usually pretty deserted, and he didn't think anyone else knew about the little alcove in the cliff that could be reached by skirting the edge of the water, so he could always go there and be by himself. It became his safe haven, the place he ran to whenever his mother's biting words or hateful looks became too much. He figured he was lucky these days in that she mostly just ignored him.

He made it to his little cove without much trouble, lying down in the coarse sand and letting the sounds of the sea wash over him, trying to forget all about the stress of last night and his birthday party next week. If it went anything like Thorin's had last night, it was sure to be unpleasant.

Maybe if someone would just _tell him_ what everyone _but_ him seemed to know, things would go smoother. But he wasn't allowed to know secrets. Not the tribe's secrets or his friends' secrets either. He had to just accept that.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to stay in his hideaway long. With the moon being full last night, high tide came rather early in the day, and the water was rising steadily already. He knew by the time high tide hit, the entire cove would be submerged by at least six feet of water. Sense he couldn't swim and had no plans of drowning that day, he decided to head home early.

He had barely gotten out of sight of the beach when he appeared.

Kili at first thought that he was seeing things because the man hadn't been there before. One minute, the path ahead of him was empty, the next there was a stranger standing not ten feet from him.

He instinctively took a step back, blood running cold as his eyes registered what he was seeing. It was like a man, but so very much not at the same time. His skin was gray and had a brittle look to it. That alone would have been enough to tell Kili that something was definitely _wrong_ with the man in front of him. He looked like a walking corpse, but moved with a deliberate and deadly grace, stepping towards Kili even as he took another step back.

His too-white teeth shone in the sunlight as he smiled a terrible smile, looking at Kili with soulless black irises.

He looked like death, and paralyzing fear ran through Kili as he realized that's exactly what he was.

 _His_ death.

Something inside him was _screaming_ for him to run, but he couldn't make his feet move. Did it even matter? The man had come out of nowhere! He'd probably have absolutely no trouble catching him.

The voice inside him was raging at him, telling him to not just stand there like an idiot and get _away_ , but his fear kept him motionless.

Just as the creature made a move towards him once more, a huge golden animal jumped out of the woods and between them with a snarl.

Kili blinked at it in shock, absently noting it was a wolf. How did a wolf get so big?

He could only stand there frozen as the wolf pounced on the creature that had been about to attack Kili, sharp teeth going straight for the head and ripping it off easily. As the creature fell to the ground, still twitching, the wolf turned to Kili with a huff, clear blue eyes locking with frightened brown ones.

Kili took a step back, wondering if he had been saved from one death only to find another. Instead, though, he watched in amazement as the wolf seemed to shrink before standing on its hind legs. Its fur was receding as well.

Before he could realize what had happened, the wolf wasn't a wolf anymore. It was a man. A very familiar man. A very familiar _naked_ man.

"Fili…" he breathed, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden. The last thing he saw was the blond rushing towards him as his vision faded to black.

Tbc…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The wolf stayed hidden deep within the trees as his sharp eyes watched the young man exit the house. He cocked his head curiously as he watched the brunet close his eyes and tilt his head back, something about the human calling to him. He darted away quickly, though, when the man snapped his eyes open and his head jerked to survey the surrounding trees.

He could not let himself be seen.

Still, he trailed after the man as he walked through the woods towards the beach. He kept his distance, of course, but was able to catch his scent as the wind off the ocean wafted it towards him.

It was… intoxicating.

He stamped his paw his frustration as the brunet walked out of the trees and disappeared behind the face of a cliff. He didn't dare step out onto the open beach, not even to follow the man with the wonderful scent he found so intriguing.

He waited there for a while, straining his nose to catch a whiff the brunet's scent, before he stiffened as he caught a different smell on the breeze.

The sickeningly sweet smell burned his nose. His lips curled up and he snarled, instinctively knowing that smell was dangerous. His head snapped in the direction the scent was coming from and growled, darting forward and following his nose.

The trail led him north, towards a more populated area of the beach. He could see several humans lounging on the beach in the sun. He didn't smell any blood though. Somehow, he knew that if his prey had attacked someone, there would be blood. He was about to pick up the trail once more when a fear like he had never knew gripped him.

He was running south before he even thought about it, pushing his muscles to the limit. He caught sight of the creature stalking towards the man from earlier, the man who the wolf had found so fascinating before, and jumped between them without thought, snarling at the thing that dared threaten the brunet.

The creature's eyes widened slightly, startled at his arrival, but the slight curve of his lips told the wolf that he wasn't frightened.

That was his mistake.

He pounced before the creature had time to react, going straight for the head and ripping it off with one snap of his jaws.

He turned back towards his human with a huff, needing to ensure that he was okay.

As his eyes locked with frightened brown eyes, the world seemed to shift around him. Nothing else mattered by the man in front of him.

 _Âzyungâl_ , the wolf realized in awe.

 _Kili!_ the human part of his mind screamed.

The human inside of him fought his way to the front of his consciousness, the wolf retreating as he recognized the all-consuming _need_ for the human to take care of his Kili. As the wolf retreated in his mind, his body shrunk and his limbs bent. He gasped as he reared back on his hind legs, shivering slightly as his fur disappeared.

Fili barely registered his transformation as he ran forward to catch Kili as he fainted. He managed to catch the younger man before he hit the ground, hastily checking his body for any sign of injury and sighing in relief as he found nothing.

He had gotten there in time, thankfully. He glared at the still twitching body of the thing that had attacked his Kili, realizing with a start that he knew _exactly_ what it was.

Vampire.

Shit. A _vampire_ had just attacked Kili.

And _he_ had _killed_ it. As a wolf. No, as a _werewolf_.

Fili shook his head violently. Now was not the time to freak out over what was happening. He had to focus on Kili. He had to get Kili to safety. Everything inside of him was _screaming_ at him to get the brunet as far away from the dead vampire as possible, even if the threat was gone.

He scooped Kili into his arms and cradled him carefully against his chest, frowning as he realized how light the brunet was. Kili was practically skin and bones. This wasn't the type of skinny that came from a high metabolism or an active lifestyle.

This was the type of skinny that came from malnourishment.

Anger shot through him at the thought of his Kili going without food, going hungry, _starving_.

He fought hard to keep control of himself as he stood, the wolf threatening to surge forward once more with his fury.

How had nobody noticed Kili's suffering, he seethed as he stalked towards Kili's house. How had _he_ not noticed? Because this wasn't that had happened during the time he had been lost to the wolf. It couldn't have. He hadn't been gone _that_ long.

Had he?

No, there was no way.

He looked down at the brunet in his arms, heart aching at the thought of the younger man suffering in silence. He supposed he had never noticed before because Kili was usually behind the counter at the store, baggy t-shirt concealing just how thin he was.

Well, that ended _now_ as far as Fili was concerned. If it was the last thing he did, he would make sure Kili never suffered again.

He held onto that thought as he caught sight of the tree-line where the path led up to the small house where Kili and his mother lived. Protecting Kili was the only thing about this entire situation that actually made _any_ sense to him.

A strong breeze blew past him, causing him to pause as the cool wind hit his skin. Somehow, with all that had happened, his lack of clothing completely slipped his mind.

He darted off the path and into the trees with Kili in his arms. He didn't think the path was very well traversed, but he wasn't exactly keen on being caught with no pants with an unconscious teen in his arms.

He glanced in the direction of Kili's house before dismissing it as an option. Kili's mother would no doubt call the cops if he strode up to the door like this.

Thankfully, though he hadn't been in control of himself while the wolf was in control, he had been aware enough to learn his way about the woods of Erebor, and it wasn't too difficult to navigate the trees now as a human. It must have been a good five mile hike through the woods to reach the trees behind his shop, but it seemed that some of his stamina and speed as a wolf transferred to his human body as well and they made it in half an hour.

The first thing he noticed was that his clothes and phone weren't where he had left them, meaning he had to chance running to the backdoor in his state of undress, trying not to jostle Kili too much.

He sighed once he was safely inside his shop, climbing the stairs to his apartment and gently laying Kili down on the bed, draping the quilt at the bottom of the bed over him to keep him warm.

It was exceedingly difficult for him to step away from the bed to throw on a pair of jeans and t-shirt, but considering the fact that Kili was likely to freak out _anyway_ , he figured it was better he didn't tempt fate by having him wake up to a naked man standing creepily at his bedside.

After dressing, he resisted the urge to walk back to the bed and curl himself around Kili. Instead, he went into the kitchen, never so happy to have a studio-style apartment as kept one eye on the rise and fall of the brunet's chest.

Of course there was nothing in his refrigerator. Obviously his mother's work no-doubt. Of course Thorin had let her in on the whole turning-into-a-wolf thing but kept Fili in the dark. It wasn't like it was his life or anything.

He pushed down his irritation before he could work himself up to anger, the wolf constantly lurking below the surface and ready to burst out at any moment. He was usually a pretty laid-back guy so he was never angry that often, but he could already tell that this whole werewolf thing was going to force him to have a tight rein on his emotions.

That was not important right now though. What was important was finding food for Kili for when he woke up. He was concerned that the brunet hadn't woken yet. Surely he would wake soon? Maybe he should take him to the hospital…?

Deciding Kili would probably not thank him for taking him to the hospital without at least giving him time to recover on his own, he opened the freezer and nearly cried out in triumph as he spied the frozen lasagna. Turning to preheat the oven, he ripped open the package and sticking it in as soon as the oven reach the correct temperature. He set the oven timer for forty five minutes and settling down on the couch, a good twenty feet from where Kili slept on.

He _ached_ to cross the distance and be closer to the sleeping brunet, but he forced himself to stay where he was. He wasn't going to question the sudden _need_ he felt for Kili. If he were completely honest with himself, it wasn't all that different from what he had felt when he first met him. It was sharper, crisper, more in focus, but not different. Magnified, maybe.

It was like he went from the beginning stages of falling in love with Kili to being unequivocally head over heels for the brunet.

He was certain that he would have gotten to this point eventually on his own had Kili given him a shot. It felt… disconcerting, though, to have that opportunity taken away from him. It was like planting a seed and then overnight there was a towering redwood in your backyard.

Still, he would never _not_ want to be in love with Kili, and it wasn't as if Kili were taken away from him by whatever was happening to him. If anything, it had afforded him the opportunity to get closer to the other boy. Surely nothing bonded to people together like sharing a secret of this magnitude.

That was, if Kili didn't go screaming for the hills.

With that in mind, he settled in to wait for the brunet to wake up.

#

Kili groaned as he slowly crept back to consciousness, sluggishly wondering why his alarm hadn't woken him up for school yet. He never woke up before his alarm. Surely he hadn't slept through it…

His eyes snapped open and he jerked up as he remembered what had had happened. The strange corpse-like man. The wolf. _Fili_.

He took in the unfamiliar room with mounting panic. He didn't know where he was. Where was Fili? Was he alright?

"Kili?" a quiet voice called.

Kili turned his head slowly and nearly sagged in relief to see the blond walking cautiously towards the bed. Fili looked fine. That was good. That meant neither the man nor the wolf had hurt him.

He froze, though, as the events became clearer in his head. Of course the wolf hadn't hurt Fili. Fili _was_ the wolf.

He scrambled up the bed and curled into the corner where the bed was shoved against the wall, staring at Fili in wariness. Fili's face visibly fell at his reaction, causing him to feel instantly guilty.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the blond said earnestly, backing up a few steps.

Kili uncurled himself and scooted to the edge of the bed nearest Fili. "Sorry," he said, marveling at the oddness of apologizing to a werewolf for being frightened of him.

Shit, Fili was a _werewolf_.

Fili shook his head with a self-deprecating and slightly hysterical laugh. "What are you apologizing for? It's probably normal to be afraid of someone you saw transform into a giant wolf and bite some guy's head off in front of you."

Kili snorted, weirdly calmed by Fili's own hysteria. "Pretty sure there's nothing normal about this situation," he pointed out. "Besides, you saved my life by biting that guy's head off."

At least, he thought his life had been in danger. His instincts at the time definitely told him it was. Maybe it hadn't been though. What if the guy had been sick and in need of help? What if the whole thing was just a big understanding?

He felt sick all of a sudden. What if Fili had killed some innocent guy in cold blood for Kili?

"Vampire," Fili said suddenly.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"The guy whose head I bit off," the blond clarified. "He was a vampire."

Kili swallowed thickly as a shiver of fear ran through him. "Vampires aren't real," he whispered, irrational fear keeping his voice quiet.

Fili laughed humorlessly. "Neither are werewolves," he said bitterly.

"There goes everything I thought I knew about the world," Kili joked weakly. This whole thing was crazy. Vampires and werewolves didn't exist. But he couldn't deny the terror that the man in the woods had struck in him. And he had _seen_ Fili transform in front of his eyes.

"Join the club," Fili quipped.

A beeping sound cut off any further conversation. Fili gave him a weak smile before moving towards the kitchen and pulling something out of the oven.

"I made dinner," he said simply. "I figured you'd be hungry after everything that happened."

Kili opened his mouth to protest but his stomach growled loudly and beat him to it. He frowned. That was one unfortunate thing about getting food on a more regular basis. His stomach had gotten used to it and now protested more when it wasn't fed properly.

"I promise I won't wolf out on you," Fili pressed with a smile that Kili really couldn't say no to.

He rolled his eyes but stood up on somewhat shaky legs. He took about four steps in the direction of the kitchen before his legs crumpled under him. He prepared for a harsh impact, but strong arms wrapped around him and he was suddenly blinking dumbly at Fili's chest.

His breath caught in his throat at the nearness of the blond, heart beating like crazy in his chest. It seemed knowing Fili was a werewolf with razor sharp teeth didn't stop him from being ridiculously attracted to the older boy.

"Careful," Fili said softly, stepping back but still keeping a steadying grip on Kili's shoulders. He helped the brunet to the table, Kili's cheeks flaming, both at not being able to cross a room on his own and from Fili's close proximity.

"So how long have you been a werewolf?" Kili asked lightly once he regained his composure.

"Um, I'm not really sure," Fili said sheepishly, setting a large plate of lasagna in front of Kili. "I haven't really figured out what day it is yet. How long has it been since you've seen me?"

"A little over three weeks," he replied before flushing. He probably answered that a little too quickly.

"Shit," Fili hissed as he sat down with his own plate of food.

"Have you… been in… wolf-form the entire time?" Kili asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," he answered with a shake of his head. "Didn't really know what was happening. So I freaked out and the wolf took over."

"So you had no idea it was coming?" That had to suck, Kili thought as he took a bite of lasagna. One minute your world is normal, the next you have four legs and fur.

Fili snorted derisively. "No, but apparently my uncle did. I mean, I knew the tribe's legends and all, but I didn't think they were _real_."

"What legends?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. He stabbed a noodle in frustration. "I guess I'm not supposed to know."

"I think it's safe to say that secrecy is pretty much useless at this point," Fili said with a shrug. "And for the record, I'm not happy with how Thorin and the council have treated you and your mother."

"I can't blame them for not believing that my father was Khuzdul," Kili said bitterly. "I don't believe it either. My mother isn't the most reliable person in the world."

He didn't say that, even if his mother _had_ slept with a member of the tribe, he probably wasn't the _only_ person she was sleeping with at the time. Given the number of men she used to bring home when Kili was younger, she wasn't entirely particular. He was just grateful that she had stopped bring them home and started spending her time elsewhere. Some of her visitors hadn't exactly been the nicest.

"I don't know, your five o'clock shadow is starting to show," the blond pointed out. "That's a Khuzdul trait."

Kili rolled his eyes. "That pretty much just rules out anyone in Ered Luin being my father. Could be any number of people in Dale though. Or Laketown. Or some random drifter. Who knows? Just because I look Native doesn't mean my father wasn't white. I can't blame your uncle for trying to protect the tribe from someone who might not be Khuzdul."

Fili pursed his lips at that, eyes showing his displeasure at his reply. Thankfully, though, he let it go.

"Still, considering the wolves are probably the biggest tribal secret we have, I think it's fair to say there's no point in trying to put the cat back in the bag," he declared with finality.

"So there are werewolves in your legends?"

"And vampires," Fili said with a nod. "You can understand, then, why I never really believed any of them."

"Sounds a little farfetched," he agreed with a wry smile before taking another bite.

"Well, Thorin and Balin obviously tell the story better, but to sum up, apparently our ancestors used to be spirit warriors or something and their chief had to retreat into the body of a wolf after his body was taken over by a traitor…" Fili shook his head. "It sounds so unbelievable when I put it like that."

Kili couldn't help but agree.

"Then there's the stories about how the vampires attacked and the wolves had to defend the tribe. Crazy, right?"

"Not so crazy after coming face to face with one," he said, shuddering at the thought of those black eyes.

"The last wolves were led by my Great-Grandfather Thror. At least according to Thorin and Balin," Fili continued. "Farin Fundin and Dain Ironhill were his advisors and pack members. I never believed it because the dates didn't add up to me. For the stories to be real, they would have had to have been born in the early 1800s. Thror didn't die until the 1950s though."

"Fundin as in Balin Fundin?" Kili asked curiously.

The blond nodded. "His grandfather."

"I've never heard of any Ironhills in Erebor," he remarked with a frown.

Fili shrugged. "He never had any kids. I think he had a sister or something, but the family name must've died out with him."

"And where do the Peredhels come into all of this?" Fili shot him a surprised look. "Your mother and uncle grilled me my friendship with them last night?"

The blond furrowed his brow in confusion. "A family called Peredhel moved to Dale? Shit."

"You didn't know? It seemed like a pretty big deal to your uncle and his friends…"

"The stories say a group of vampires with yellow eyes came to Dale using the name Peredhel before, back when Thror and his pack were around," Fili explained with a thoughtful frown. "The wolves made a treaty with them, allowing them to live in peace as long as they didn't drink human blood."

Yellow eyes… Kili's mind immediately went to the strange golden eyes that all his friends seemed to have…

"This is ridiculous," he said, shaking his head vehemently. "My friends are _not_ vampires."

Fili gave him a sympathetic look. "Well, stranger things have happened."

"They're not dangerous though, right?" he pleaded, unable to stop thinking of the black eyes from before. "You said they agreed not to drink human blood?"

"They're still _vampires_ , Kee," the blond stressed. Despite himself, pleasure shot through him at the nickname. "They still _crave_ human blood!"

"You don't even _know_ them!" he cried, pushing away from the table and standing up. " _None_ of you do!"

He went to storm away but was stopped as Fili's hand on his arm stopped him. He shot him a baleful glare over his shoulder, but it softened almost immediately as he noticed the contrite look on the blond's face.

"You're right. I don't," he agreed. "But this isn't about them. I'm sorry. Please, won't you at least finish your dinner before you leave?"

Kili sighed. "Fine," he said, sitting back down.

Fili gave him a smile and sat back down as well. "Sorry, it's been a weird day."

"Tell me about it," he said, shaking his head and taking a bit of lasagna.

"Why were you around Mom and Uncle Thorin?"

"I'm friends with Chief Bowman's son Bain," Kili explained, glad that this topic, at least, was simple enough. "He wanted backup when he met your mother at Thorin's birthday party."

Fili grimaced at that. "Understandable. Sorry if my mom terrified you or anything. She can be a real piece of work sometimes."

"She didn't seem too fond of me," Kili admitted, not really wanting to say anything bad about the blond's mother but also curious about why she seemed to hate him in particular so much.

"She needs to learn to get over things," Fili all but growled, surprising Kili with his vehemence. "There were rumors that my father was the one who got your mother pregnant. They were absolutely baseless," he assured, "but some of the other women in the tribe were bitter about my father marrying someone from Dale. The chief's son not marrying a Khuzdul girl was something of a scandal. But that is _no_ excuse for her treating you badly."

Kili rolled his eyes. "She's your mother. It's okay if you take up for her. Besides, it's not like her hating me affects me all that much. We rarely cross paths."

"And she's a wonderful mother, but she's wrong here," Fili said firmly. "And I don't particularly like people hating my friends for no good reason."

He smiled at that but didn't reply. Happiness pooled in him at the thought of being friends with Fili, even though his heart wanted so much more. Still, beggars couldn't be choosers.

After dinner, Fili gave him a ride home, frowning when they pulled up to his dark house. "Your mom not home?"

"She's probably staying the night with friends," he said with shrug. "It's not unusual."

Fili hummed noncommittally. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Kili blinked in surprise before giving him a mischievously look. "That's what you said before you disappeared for three weeks."

"Well, here's to hoping _that_ won't happen again," the blond teased before frowning. "How do you get to school in the mornings if your mom isn't around?"

"I bike," he replied.

Fili gave him an incredulous look. "That's got to be over ten miles!"

"It's probably closer to eight from here. I'm used to it," he said with a shrug. "Bain usually drives me home after school so it's only a one way trip."

"Let me drive you to school."

"What? No!" he exclaimed, shocked at the offer. "That's not necessary."

"We've just found out vampires are real and, judging by today, freely roaming the woods around here," Fili pointed out seriously. "Either I drive you to school or I follow your bike in wolf form to make sure you are safe."

"That's got to be the weirdest threat ever," Kili said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Fili gave him a wry look. "Yeah, kinda makes me sound like a stalker," he huffed in self-depreciation. "But please? After seeing you nearly attacked today, it'd make me feel a lot better."

Kili knew he should say no. Hell, a normal person would have run away as soon as he woke up in a werewolf's bed. But this was _Fili_. Maybe he didn't know the blond all that well, but he _knew_ him. And okay, maybe his inexplicable attachment to Fili was mostly just wishful thinking on his part, but he wasn't about to turn down spending more time with him.

"Okay," he agreed.

Tbc…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Fili knew that he should have probably gone to see Thorin right after he dropped Kili off, or at least called him to tell him he was back, but he was just too damn angry. Instead, he drove to the supermarket in Dale, happy to make it an hour before it closed. His goal was to somehow get Kili in the habit of accepting a ride to school from him every morning and of coming to Fili's apartment for dinner. This meant that he needed to stock up on his groceries.

And if making sure Kili was taken care of came with the bonus of getting to spend more time with him, that was all the better for Fili.

After he had driven back to his place and put the groceries away, he did shoot Thorin and his mother a text letting him know that he was alive before turning his phone on silent and taking a much needed shower.

He ignored the missed calls and messages on his phone as he set the alarm for early the next morning. Thorin and his mom could wait until after he had seen Kili off to school, he decided with a little resentment. Besides, it was about time someone put Kili first.

His dreams were oddly comforting.

He was running, hunting and filled with purpose. He couldn't tell if he was in wolf form or not, but he knew his pack was around him, flanking him and watching his back. It was an uplifting feeling. He was surrounded by his brothers, his family, the people he would always be able to count on.

Kili was there too. Running at his side, dark hair streaming behind him. He looked both healthier and happier, a large grin spread across his face as he ran with the wolves.

He woke up the next morning determined to see Kili that happy and healthy in real life. He popped two prepackaged breakfast sandwiches in the microwave after he was dressed, scarfing one down after carefully wrapping the other in a couple of napkins. He grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and was out the door.

He didn't bother turning the radio on as he drove to Kili's house. There was never much music on during the morning radio shows anyway. He was half-afraid that Kili would have biked to school anyway, either not trusting Fili to actually show up or because he didn't really want to spend more time with the monster the blond had become.

He was greatly relieved, then, to spy the other boy sitting on his front steps as he turned into the drive. Kili stood as he drove up and opened the passenger door with a shy smile.

"I brought breakfast," Fili proclaimed cheerily, gesturing towards the sandwich and orange juice on the console as Kili buckled his seatbelt.

The brunet frowned. "You didn't have to do that."

"I basically forced you to let me drive you," he replied with a shrug, hoping he sounded casual enough. "It's the least I can do."

"You're doing me a favor by driving because you want to keep me safe from vampires who want to drain all my blood. What a terrible person you are," Kili accused sarcastically. "I bet you rescue puppies and kittens too, you horrible man."

Fili grinned. He loved Kili's spirit. It had been one of the first things that had attracted him to the younger man. Kili had always been ready with a quip or tease when he used to go into Bombur's store. He was just now beginning to realize that Kili kept it hidden behind a meek façade most of the time, not willing to draw attention to himself or ruffle any feathers.

It warmed his heart to know that Kili had always shown _him_ that side of himself, but broke his heart to know that he was too afraid to show the world.

"Just puppies," he joked. "Cats and I never mixed well. Guess I know why now."

Kili snorted, but Fili was happy to note that he took the sandwich and practically inhaled it. He must have been too hungry or sleepy or both to bother hiding his hunger. Fili spared a moment to think that maybe he should have gotten Kili milk instead of orange juice. Wasn't milk supposed to be more filling? And it had calcium and stuff, right? But orange juice had Vitamin C…?

He shrugged inwardly. He'd just give Kili orange juice in the morning and milk for dinner. Problem solved.

"So did you talk to your uncle about your new furry problem?" Kili asked, a cautious curiosity in his eyes as if he expected to be shot down.

The wolf snarled at the idea that his âzyungâl had been treated so badly that he was afraid to ask questions, but Fili was able to keep him at bay.

"No," he answered with a smirk. "I figured if he wanted me to come running like a good dog—"

"Or wolf," Kili quipped.

"—to report, then he should have told me what was happening," Fili continued, grinning at Kili's insertion. "This is going to be a running joke, isn't it?"

"It's almost too perfect not to be," the brunet said with a smirk before his face turned more rueful. "Besides, joking about it helps me to not freak out too much at the idea of vampires and werewolves."

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this," Fili said earnestly, hating himself for any anguish he may have caused him.

Kili shrugged. "Not your fault. Besides, I managed to befriend a pack of vampires and nearly get eaten by one all before you did anything. If anything, you saved me."

"I believe vampires are grouped into covens, not packs," he said lightly, not wanting to focus on the vampire that nearly killed the brunet. He had seen the residual fear in Kili's eyes last night, and he didn't want him to ever have to be afraid like that again. Still…

"Are you sure the Peredhels are safe?" Fili asked hesitantly as they entered into Dale's city limits. "I don't mean to judge them without knowing them," he was quick to add. "It's just… every instinct inside of me is screaming at me to not let you near them, _especially_ after you were attacked yesterday."

Kili was quiet for a few moments, making Fili think that maybe he had overstepped in asking. The brunet had seemed pretty vehement in his defense of his friends yesterday. He didn't want to drive him away.

"Yesterday I felt terrified around that vampire," he finally answered in a thoughtful voice. "From the moment I saw him, something in me knew that he was going to hurt me. I've never felt that way around any of the Peredhels. They won't hurt me."

Fili sighed as they pulled up to the school. "I trust what you say, but it might take me a bit to accept it, though," he said with self-deprecating smile. "Natural enemies and all."

Kili smiled at him. "It's enough that you try. Thanks for the ride," he said shyly as he unbuckled his seatbelt but didn't open the door. "And for breakfast."

"No problem," he replied with a grin. "I'm going to talk to Thorin this morning so I fully plan to steal you after work so I can rant all about what he says. Don't worry, I'll feed you to compensate you for your time."

He laughed and shook his head as he opened the door. "I can overlooking the kidnapping as long as there's food, I guess."

Fili grinned in triumph as he watched Kili walk into the school. He had gotten Kili to agree to dinner easily enough. And he had seemed happy enough this morning. Definitely less hesitant and freaked out than last night, though he hid it impressively well.

All in all, it was a good morning. Now to ruin it by facing what he'd become, he thought with grimace as he pulled away from the school.

#

Kili was not stupid. Just like he could see through the Peredhels' attempts to feed him, Fili's weren't disguised any better. However, whereas Kili's first reactions to his friends had been shame and reluctant acceptance, made better by the fact that they never acknowledged what was happening, Fili's actions just made him flush in pleasure.

There was nothing of pity or even compassion in Fili's gaze during anything he had done. If anything, Fili looked at him like he were afraid Kili would turn him away.

It made Kili feel _wanted_ in a way that he had _never_ felt before. Sure, it may have been mostly due to him knowing Fili's secret, but it was still a nice feeling.

He stopped just before he rounded the corner to the courtyard, considering what he had learned yesterday once more.

It was easy to accept Fili as a werewolf. For one, he had seen the transformation with his own eyes. For another, the wolf had protected him. He didn't have anything to be afraid of there.

It was harder to think of Tauriel, Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir as vampires. Given his one and only terrifying experience with a vampire, his friends didn't really seem to compare. Yes, they were a little… odd, but they couldn't be _vampires_. They weren't like that thing that was about to kill him yesterday. They didn't look like walking corpses. They didn't have soulless black eyes.

The Khuzdul were wrong about them. They had the same name as the vampires in their stories, but that had to be a coincidence.

With that in mind, he walked confidently around the corner and towards where he normally met his friends. He had barely caught sight of them before a blur of red crossed his vision and a pair of arms wrapped around him, squeezing him slightly too hard. He gasped, not at the strength of the hold, but at the feel of the arms. They were icy cold and felt as hard as stone.

"Kili!" Tauriel's voice cried as she pulled away to look him up and down. "You're alive!"

He furrowed his brow. "How did you know what happened?" he asked in confusion before horror slowly dawned in him, and he stepped back quickly.

The Khuzdul were right. They _were_ vampires. Were they in league with the vampire from yesterday? How else would they have known about the attack? An even more terrible thought occurred to him. Surely they hadn't _sent_ the other vampire? Was that why they had been trying to feed him these past few weeks? So that _he_ could feed one of their friends?

"We'd _never_ do that!" Legolas hissed vehemently.

Without Kili realizing it, they had surrounded him. Well, none of them were behind him, but if the vampire from yesterday was anything to go by, they could probably quickly move to encircle him completely if he made a wrong move. He glanced at Bain, who was standing in the circle next Elladan. Did he know what they were? Surely he did, given his comments Saturday. He wouldn't let them hurt Kili, right?

"We're not going to hurt you, Kili," Legolas assured him softly.

A strange calm settled over him. He wasn't reassured by the pale blond's words, but he wasn't panicking anymore either. Had Legolas done something? He gave him a narrow-eyed look, catching his golden eyes flickering momentarily to Elladan.

Was he trying to signal the other vampire to get Bain away? Elladan's mortal boyfriend couldn't be okay with them murdering him, right?

"Kili, we did _not_ send that…" Legolas paused before lowering his voice to a whisper, "…vampire after you."

" _That's_ what you thought!" Tauriel cried, scandalized.

"We'd _never_ do that!" Elrohir exclaimed in outrage.

"How else would you know?" he asked in a strangled voice, hating that he was still somehow being forced to be calm. "Unless you were there and saw him attack me and just left me to die!"

"I did see it," Tauriel answered. "But not the way you're thinking."

"And how _exactly_ do you all seem to know what I'm thinking?" he hissed before that irritating calm increased.

"Elladan, you're just making him more agitated," Legolas warned, and suddenly the calm was gone, allowing Kili to feel a mixture of anger, fear, and hysteria.

He didn't understand anything that was going on. He thought he was safe at the moment though. There were other students and teachers milling around. They wouldn't hurt him here.

"Kili," Legolas said in exasperation. "Yes, we are what you think we are, but we won't hurt you. We don't hurt people. None of us have ever even tasted a drop of human blood."

"You can read my mind," he realized with wide-eyes.

"Yes, he can," Tauriel said matter-of-factly. "And I can see the future, and Elladan can read and influence emotions."

He blinked as he processed that. "And Elrohir?"

The dark-haired vampire grinned and winked at him. "I'm the normal vampire," he bragged.

Kili gave a weak smile at that before looking at Tauriel suspiciously. "You saw me be attacked?"

She nodded with a puckered frown. "I saw you _die_ ," she clarified. "There wasn't enough time to reach you. We would have tried. We aren't allowed on Khuzdul ground, but we would have broken our treaty to save you. But there was _no time_!"

"You didn't even try to reach me?" Kili asked, feeling hurt. He wasn't sure if he believed anything they were saying. He had accepted they were vampires, but the extra powers they had seemed a little unrealistic. Still, if they were telling the truth, it _hurt_ to think that they hadn't even tried to get to him before the other vampire attacked.

"Tauriel saw us arriving too late," Legolas said sympathetically. "She's _never_ wrong."

"But I was this time," she pointed out, staring at Kili in consternation. "I _saw_ you die. How are you alive?"

His mind flashed to the golden wolf that saved him before he shut down that the thought. He wouldn't share secrets that weren't his to share.

"Werewolf," Legolas informed his siblings with a slight frown.

Before any of them could respond, though, Bain spoke up for the first time. "There are werewolves too? Cool."

" _Not_ cool," Elladan said with a roll of his eyes. "Werewolves are dangerous."

Kili scowled at that. "So are vampires."

" _We_ can control ourselves," Elrohir remarked seriously.

Tauriel looked at the twins speculatively. "You should listen to them, Kili," she said slowly. "They were here last time and met with the wolves then. And if I can't _see_ the wolves, it's better to just steer clear of them."

"You think you can't see the wolves?" Elladan asked in surprise before Kili could answer.

"That's the only explanation," she replied. "If a wolf saved Kili and I couldn't _see_ him, it must be because I can't see any of them. It could be a defense mechanism they have against us."

"I'm not going to stay away from the wolves," Kili said vehemently, very carefully keeping his thoughts blank. "And if they can trust my judgment and not try to stop me from being around you, I think you can too."

Elrohir snorted derisively. "As if the Khuzdul ever showed any sign of caring what happened to you before. Kili, you're our _friend_. We care about you and don't want anything to happen to you!"

Kili's eyes went cold at that, and he immediately turned on his heel and walked away, knowing that if he stayed he would say or _think_ something that would give Fili away.

"Kili!" Bain called after him, quickly catching up as Kili walked swiftly towards homeroom. "They didn't mean anything by it. They just… worry."

He scowled at that. "That doesn't give them the right to tell me what to do or to insult my intelligence," he shot back angrily. "And it doesn't give them a right to judge the Khuzdul anymore than it gives the Khuzdul a right to judge them."

"Damn intolerant supernatural beings," Bain joked.

Kili raised an eyebrow. "Speak for your vampires," he quipped. "The werewolf seems willing to _try_."

He gave him a sly grin. "Maybe your werewolf is just trying to make you happy," he teased. "I know my vampire tries things he doesn't want to for _my_ sake."

Kili flushed, the idea of Fili being _his_ werewolf was far too appealing, but that was a dangerous thought-trail to go down. "That's more about your and Elladan's relationship than I really wanted to know," he retorted.

Bain scowled. "I wish. He's _way_ too careful when he's touching me."

"That is _definitely_ something I don't want to know," he stated firmly as they walked into the classroom.

#

Fili walked into Thorin's house unsure of how he should feel. He was definitely fighting back anger, both at the whole wolf thing being sprung on him with no warning and at how they had mistreated and neglected Kili. He was also slightly afraid at what Thorin would tell him though. What the hell had he become?

"Fili? Come in here, son," his uncle called from the dining room.

The blond followed his voice and frowned as he took in the fact that Thorin's entire Council was present. Balin, Gloin, Oin, and Dori were all sitting on one side of the table with Thorin at its head. His unlce must have expected him to come today despite Fili not giving him any warning. Fili could have done without the larger audience, but at least with Thorin deciding to make this official Council business, his mother wouldn't be in earshot.

Fili was still upset with her for her treatment of Kili. The fact that the brunet had actually commented on her behavior, mild though that comment may have been, spoke volumes to how she _actually_ had treated him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Fili asked in an even voice without preamble, not bothering to take a seat. Instead, he stood with arms folded just inside the room.

Thorin gave a heavy sigh. "Would you have believed me?"

"If one of you had changed in front of me, I probably would have," he replied sardonically.

"What makes you think any of us has that ability?" Balin said with a shake of his head. "It's been nearly a century since we've had any wolves on the reservation. Even longer than that since we've had new wolves shift. We didn't even think it could be happening to you until the week before your transformation. Even then, we weren't sure until the day you changed."

Fili processed that with a frown. "So what you're telling me is that you have no idea what's going on either?"

"No," his uncle assured, tapping his finger on a battered brown leather-bound book in front of him. "We do have some idea. Both from the legends and from my grandfather's journal."

He sighed and finally sat down at the table with them. "So why is this happening to me?"

"The Peredhels are back," Gloin stated as if it were obvious.

"That means there are vampires in the area," Dori elaborated. "Which means the tribe needs protecting."

"But why _me_?" he asked in frustration.

"You're the only direct descendent of Thror, the last Alpha of the wolf pack," Balin explained. "It makes sense that the magic would choose you as the new Alpha of the wolf pack."

Alpha. Fili didn't particularly like the sound of that. He had never wanted to be a leader. He had known that Thorin had wanted him to take over for him one day as chief of their tribe, but he had never considered that as an option. He wasn't sure he liked that his choice had seemed to be taken away from him.

"But I'm the only wolf, right?" he asked. Maybe he wouldn't have to lead anyone. If there were no pack, there wouldn't be need for a pack leader.

"At the moment," Thorin replied. "But there are others who've shown the same signs that you have."

"Who?"

"Dwalin I would say is very near to shifting," Balin answered. "Gimli as well."

"It would appear that those with the strongest connection to the old wolves are shifting first," Oin remarked with a shrug.

"I don't understand," Fili said. "Don't the legends say that all of our warriors could become wolves? Why only some?"

"Because we've allowed our blood to be diluted," Thorin replied seriously. "We think that's why it's taking you all so long to shift. Thror and the others all shifted as soon as the Peredhels moved to Dale. It took you three months after their move to shift."

"It's why we've tried to isolate ourselves as much as possible," Balin said. "We've got to keep the magic alive, and to do that we've got to _protect_ it."

Fili scowled. So that was the reason Kili had been shunned and neglected? To protect an ability that Thorin and the others no doubt weren't even sure still _existed_?

It was not a good enough reason for Fili, not that there would _ever_ be a reason good enough for _anyone_ to hurt his Kili.

He wouldn't tell him about his and the wolf's attachment to Kili, though. That was between Kili and himself. They didn't need to know. He might not understand the connection between them, but he sure as hell didn't expect them to accept it with their isolationist tendencies.

"So you're telling me I've become a werewolf to fight vampires that attack the tribe?" Fili summed up. "What about vampires that attack people outside of Erebor?"

"Obviously we'd like to protect as many humans as possible, but we've got to look after ourselves first," Dori pointed out.

Fili did not like the answer one bit. "Perhaps _that_ is why we've been losing whatever magic this is. Because we haven't been _using_ it."

Dori opened his mouth to argue, but Thorin cut him off.

"It is a theory that has been advanced before," his uncle admitted ruefully, tapping the journal in front of him again. "Thror and Farin had quite a few arguments with Dain about that very thing. He was furious that they decided to stop shift to grow old with their wives. It was one of the reasons he left."

"Wait, what do you mean 'grow old'?" Fili asked apprehensively. "Do you mean I'm going to stop aging?!"

"As long as you're shifting, you're practically immortal," Oin answered. "You'll age until your body is fully developed and then stop."

Fili felt a flash of panic as he imagined Kili growing old and dying while he stayed stuck in his youthful body. How would that kind of relationship work?

"But I'll start aging again as soon as I stop shifting, right?"

"From what we know, it is extremely hard to stop," Balin answered sympathetically. "It took Thror and Farin nearly a decade to stop, and they had nearly forty years to gain complete control of their wolves."

Fili clenched his jaw. A decade was a long time, but he didn't care how long it took. He'd stop for Kili. If Thror and Farin could do it for their wives, he could do it for Kili. Besides, Kili was four years younger than he was. Fili had time to work on stopping before Kili grew too much older than him.

"But enough with the past," Gloin said dismissively with an excited gleam in his eyes. "I want to know what it was _like_."

Thorin and the others all leaned forward with curious looks, giving Fili their full attention. He blinked as he thought about the question. He knew they probably wanted an exciting story of how it was exhilarating or something like that, but all he had was the truth.

"It was… terrifying," he said with a shake of his head. "Maybe it was because I panicked when it happened and the wolf took over, but I… lost myself. For a while, I didn't even remember I was human."

"What made you remember?" Thorin prodded gently, giving him an understanding look.

His mind shot straight to Kili, but he wasn't going to tell them that. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Kili was his to protect, even from the men he had trusted his entire life.

"I came across a vampire attacking someone," he answered. "My instincts kicked in and I attacked, ripping his head off in one bite. Once the wolf was satisfied that the danger had passed, I was able to reclaim my mind."

It wasn't a complete lie. He was sure that had there still been a danger to Kili around, the wolf wouldn't have let him shift back.

"Did the person being attacked see you?" Balin asked shrewdly.

He shook his head. "They ran off as soon as I jumped in," he lied. "I'm not even sure who they were." He deliberately did not look at Thorin as he said this, knowing his uncle would see through his fabrication if he did.

He would have to find a way to bring up Thorin's failures concerning Kili later in a way that wouldn't let his uncle connect the topic with the whole wolf situation. Because he _would_ be expressing just how unhappy he was about Kili's treatment.

"Did you burn the body?" Oin inquired.

"No," he said with a frown. "Should I have?"

Balin's face twisted in displeasure. "They only stay dead if you burn them. They put themselves back together otherwise."

 _Put themselves back together_. The very idea was ludicrous. "I ripped his _head_ off!" Fili protested.

"Which means the rest of his body was still intact," Thorin remarked gravely. "It probably didn't take him that long to reattach the head."

Fili felt sick. That meant that that _thing_ was still out there. What if he went after Kili again?

"No need to worry, lad," Balin reassured him. "I'm sure he just ran off to find his meal elsewhere."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," he spat. Even if the vampire didn't come after Kili again, he was still lose and able to kill other helpless victims. "Whosever blood he drains next will be on _my_ hands."

"No," Thorin stated firmly. "It will be on _our_ hands because we didn't warn you enough."

"You didn't have time," Fili argued with a shake of his head. "If I had _listened_ to the legends more closely…"

"It makes no difference now," Gloin exclaimed impatiently. "No need assigning blame. If the bloodsucker kills again, it will be because he decided to kill again. If he comes back here, you'll be ready for him."

"And hopefully with at least one more wolf to back you up," Dori pointed out.

Fili nodded slowly, still feeling unbelievably guilty and unable to shake the feeling that the vampire being alive meant that Kili was still in danger.

"I think I should talk to Dwalin and Gimli before they shift," he said with a sigh. "If they know what's happening, maybe they won't lose themselves like I did."

"That'd be nice," Gloin commented good-naturedly. "I'd rather not have my boy missing for three weeks."

Dori frowned. "But what if we're wrong and they don't shift? We'd be letting them in on a pretty big secret."

Fili rolled his eyes. "So now we're supposed to isolate a subgroup of us from an already isolated tribe? That's a little extreme."

"It's dangerous for people to know who aren't involved," Thorin intoned seriously. "The supernatural world is kept secret to protect those not of it."

"Then why tell the tribe legends to us when we're in school?" Fili countered.

Balin shook his head. "That's different. Very few believe them."

"Then why bother telling them?"

"So that they have some foundation of knowledge if they ever _do_ shift," Thorin answered. "You can't tell me you wouldn't have panicked a lot more if you didn't at least have _some_ idea what was going on."

As much as he didn't want to, he had to concede that point.

"I still think we should tell those we think will shift what is happening to them," he reiterated firmly. "And since, as you say, _I'm_ the Alpha, I believe it is _my_ decision to make."

None of them looked too happy at his decision, save maybe Gloin, but Fili thought he detected a grudging sort of respect in their eyes.

Deciding he had nothing else to discuss with them, he stood up and made to turn to leave.

"Fili," Thorin stopped him. He looked at his uncle and saw him holding out Thror's old journal to him. "This might help you understand things better."

He took the journal and nodded his thanks before glancing at the clock on the wall.

2:43. Just enough time to get back home before shifting and running to Dale High School.

After learning that the vampire that attacked Kili was still alive, he _definitely_ wasn't going to allow the brunet to travel the rather secluded road that led from Dale to Erebor with just Bain as protection.

Tbc…


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter, but hope you like it!

Chapter Six

If Fili thought it was going to be difficult to shift back into wolf form, he was mistaken. It was almost as easy as breathing to let the wolf come forward. Of course, he made sure to strip beforehand. He wasn't positive what had happened to the clothes he had been wearing that first time, but he was pretty sure they were ripped to shreds when he became a giant wolf. It was… odd, to say the least, being naked just inside the treeline behind his shop, but it was better than losing more clothes.

It was a strange balance, bringing the wolf forward without pushing his human mind back. It helped, of course, that both him and the wolf put protecting Kili above everything else. Having such a unified purpose helped him embrace the wolf as the wolf accepted him.

Which also helped when he wanted to shift back after he had seen Kili safely to Bombur's store.

Now that his âzyungâl was safely to his destination, though, it was time Fili's focused shifted to his pack. He blanched even as he thought about it. _His_ pack. He wasn't sure if he was really leadership material. Surely someone would be a better Alpha than him? Anyone, really. Wasn't Dwalin older? Shouldn't it be _him_?

Shaking his head and putting it out of his mind, he sent a group text to Dwalin and Gimli, asking them both to come over to the shop ASAP. No point in doing the whole show-and-tell thing separately. And he had no doubt that he'd have to shift for them so that they believed him. They could figure out the whole Alpha thing if and when they shifted. Until then, it didn't really matter.

After getting responses from both saying they'd be over, along with a few curious questions, Fili tossed his phone on a table and began tinkering with the motorcycle he had rebuilding for over a year. He was pretty sure the old thing would probably never actually run, but it gave him something to do in his spare time. Something to keep his mind off things.

And he could honestly say he had never needed a distraction more than he did right then.

He was concentrating on loosening a particularly rusted bolt when he heard the shuffling of feet into the shop.

"Guess you survived survival training," Dwalin remarked.

Fili looked up at him and scoffed. "Is that what Thorin called it? Did anyone actually believe that?"

The older man gave him a confused, but suspicious look. "Where've you been then?"

He sighed before standing up. "I'll tell you when Gimli gets here."

"Gimli is here," the younger boy announced as he walked into the shop with a grin. "Now, tell your cousins what the hell is going on."

Fili rolled his eyes in fond amusement. Gimli certainly had never been one to beat around the bush. "You won't believe me if I just tell you."

"Well, being cryptic isn't helping either," Dwalin drawled sarcastically.

"Have the two of you been feeling sick? Dizzy spells? Hot flashes? Sore muscles?" he asked.

Gimli frowned. "How'd you know?" he asked as Dwalin nodded with narrowed eyes.

"Because I felt the same way before I disappeared," he explained. "It got worse and worse until finally… I changed."

"What do you mean, _changed_?" Dwalin asked. "You don't look any different."

"I'm not explaining this very well," Fili replied with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm trying to warn you because it's going to happen to you too."

" _What's_ going to happen?" Gimli cried in exasperation.

"Come on," the blond said, leading them both out back. He headed for the trees. His backyard was in plain view of the road, and he _really_ didn't want to strip naked where anybody could see him.

"Fili, what the hell is going on?" Dwalin growling, stomping after him angrily. "This is ridiculous."

When they had reached a smaller clearing in the woods, Fili flung his t-shirt off and reached to unbutton his jeans.

"Woah, there, cuz," Gimli cried, slapping his hand over his eyes. "Don't really need to see you in your birthday suit, if it's all the same to you."

"Yeah, well, I don't fancy ruining any more clothes," Fili retorted, dropping his jeans and boxers to the ground and kicking them away. This was far from the first time he'd be naked in front of his cousins, which made the whole situation only slightly less embarrassing. "Now watch."

Gimli reluctantly removed his hand as Fili called the wolf forward. Dwalin and Gimli both took a step back in wide-eyed fear as he felt his bones bend and stretch. The wolf sniffed and hummed in approval as he caught whiff of his cousins' scents.

They spelled like pack.

"I can see how you'd think we wouldn't believe you…" Gimli said faintly.

Dwalin nodded, trying to compose himself and appear unafraid. He needn't have bothered. Fili could _smell_ the rancid stench of fear coming from them both. "You can change back now, Fili," his older cousin stated.

Figuring that was enough of a demonstration, Fili pulled the wolf back, shrinking down to his normal size and standing straight before quickly dressing.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Dwalin yelled, much more confident now that there wasn't a giant wolf in the clearing with them.

" _That_ was the tribe's legends coming true," Fili replied with a touch of bitterness. "Be thankful you have a warning."

"You mean _we're_ going to become… werewolves? Oh shit, you're a _werewolf_ , Fili!" Gimli cried, a look of wonder in his eyes. "We're going to be _werewolves_! That's awesome!"

"It's not really all it's cracked up to be, Gim," Fili warned. "There are _vampires_ out there that we have to fight."

"That just makes it cooler, you know," he retorted. "I fail to see a downside."

"That's because you're young and stupid," Dwalin snorted. "It's _dangerous_."

"It is," Fili said, thinking of the thing that had attacked Kili. The thing that was apparently still alive out there. He had caught the vampire by surprise. He knew that was the only reason he had been able to take it down so quickly. What would happen if he had to fight one without the element of surprise? Would he even stand a chance? "I'm sorry you're both going to be dragged into this too."

"Well, I'm not sorry," Dwalin stated firmly. "If there are vampires out there killing people like the legends say, then I'll be happy to have a way to protect my friends and family. And if _you're_ already in this, Fili, I'm definitely not going to be sorry to give you some back-up."

"Same here," Gimli agreed, looking affronted at the very thought. "We're with you."

Fili smiled, heart seemingly lighter with the knowledge of his cousins' support. "Assuming you both shift," he teased.

"Bah, as if we'd let you outdo us," Gimli said dismissively.

Dwalin grinned. "We'll shift," he stated, oddly confident for someone who until ten minutes ago didn't know shifting into a werewolf was even _possible_. "Now, tell us everything you know."

#

"Kili, can I talk to you a moment?" Bombur asked as soon as he and Bain walked into the store.

He was instantly put on guard by the regretful tone of his boss's voice. "Sure," he replied, following the older man into his office after shooting Bain a reassuring smile that fooled no one.

Bombur sighed heavily as Kili shut the door behind him, further solidifying the dread in Kili's stomach. He motioned for him to take a seat.

"Kili, son, I hate to do this," he began, confirming Kili's fears. "The store is barely staying afloat these days. I don't even think I'll keep it open as late during the week anymore, and I just… I can't afford to pay you anymore."

He swallowed thickly and tried to give an understanding smile. He was sure it came out as more of a grimace though.

"I understand," he forced out, mind whirring as he tried to figure out what he was going to do. There was no way anyone in Dale would hire him. Nepotism ran rapid in all the afternoon and weekend jobs available. Why would they hire some kid from Erebor when they could hire their neighbor's son or daughter?

But how was he going to survive with no money? Sure, he had been able to save some money from his last few paychecks due to his friends feeding him breakfast and lunch, but that would only last him so far.

"Here," Bombur said, holding out a white envelope to him. "It's your pay through the end of the week. Don't worry about coming in."

"I can't just accept your money without doing any work," he protested weakly even as he took the envelope. He really hoped Bombur would insist. He _needed_ the money. He didn't like the idea of a handout, but he was really too desperate to be proud about it.

"Consider it severance pay," the older man replied with a sad smile. "It's the least that I can do."

"Thank you," Kili said softly, tucking the envelope into his pocket.

"I really am sorry, Kili," Bombur said morosely. "If things weren't so tough right now, you know I'd keep you on. I hate to let you go, especially with your birthday this week and all. It's a crap thing to do, I know."

"I understand," he assured truthfully. He had known this would probably be coming. There just weren't enough people shopping at the store anymore. "You've helped me more than enough throughout the years."

"I wish I could've done more, Kili," he said earnestly. "I know you and your mom have it tough. I may not know all the details, but I got eyes, you know. And if you ever need help, I hope you remember that I'm here for you, even if you don't work for me anymore."

"Thanks, Bombur," he replied, knowing he'd never take him up on the offer. With ten kids, he knew Bombur, though willing to help, didn't have a lot to spare himself. The job he had given him, when he could've had one of his own children work the store for much less, had been more help to Kili than he could even express. He was fairly certain he would've starved to death if it hadn't been for the older man.

He really couldn't ask him for any more.

"You're welcome. Now, why don't you take Bain and do something _fun_ for a change," he suggested, giving him a weak smile. "Go to the beach or something."

Kili nodded and stood up. "Maybe we will," he replied. "Thank you again, Bombur. For everything."

His now former boss sighed. "I just wish I could've done more, Kili."

"You did enough," he assured before leaving. He gave Bain a falsely cheerful smile. "Come on. I've got the day off. Let's go to the beach!"

Bain gave him a searching look before returning his smile. "Let's go!"

They took Bain's truck to the beach, Kili directing him to a more popular area and not to his secluded little cove. It wasn't anything against Bain, but he really didn't want to share his private haven with the other boy.

After exploring the beach a bit, they settled on a piece of driftwood, where the questions Bain hadn't wanted to ask at the store came out.

"You didn't really get the day off, did you?" he asked hesitantly.

Kili sighed and shook his head, not really wanting to think about what it meant that he didn't have a job now. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to survive.

"Bombur hasn't been getting much business lately. Couldn't afford to keep me," he explained with a shrug.

"Will you… be okay?" Bain awkwardly asked. "I know your mom… doesn't really take care of you."

Kili scowled. "Damn mind-reading vampires," he muttered angrily. That wasn't something he really wanted other people to know. He took great pains to cover for his mother. After all, as she was quick to remind him, her life would have been so much better had he never come along.

"Legolas didn't _mean_ to intrude," Bain defended sheepishly. "He can't help it. He can't turn it off. I imagine it's got to be annoying for him."

"And everyone else," he said with a roll of his eyes. "How does it work, then? The powers they have."

"I don't think they really know," he answered with a shrug. "I don't think Legolas and Tauriel can really control theirs. It's like a constant reception for them, though Tauriel only gets visions intermittently. Elladan can't turn off the emotion reading, but he can control whose to influence."

"That's a dangerous power for someone already so dangerous to have," Kili pointed out.

Bain gave him a sharp look. "Elladan would _never_ abuse his abilities," he said frostily. "He's a _good_ person. They all are. None of them have _ever_ drank human blood."

"Never?" he said skeptically. "How can you be so sure? They've been alive a long time, obviously."

"I know because they would _still_ be drinking human blood if they ever tried it once," he shot back. "Once a vampire gives in and drinks human blood, he can't _stop_. He doesn't _want_ to stop. That's how they lose their _souls_. It's not the transformation. It's the first human life they take. It's not the blood that sustains them. It's the _life force_ in the blood. The _soul_. And a body, even a vampire body, can only hold one human soul at a time."

Kili blinked. "Oh."

"So what about your werewolf?" Bain asked. "What's his story?"

He shrugged. "I don't know the whole thing. Just that it's a Khuzdul thing and they protect the tribe."

"Elladan says they're dangerous," he said slowly, giving Kili an apologetic look as he said it. "Are they?"

"He protected me against a vampire that was going to kill me. If he's dangerous, it's not to _me_ ," Kili stated disgruntledly. "I can see how a vampire might think him dangerous though. He mentioned something about them being natural enemies."

Bain chuckled at that. "Like cats and dogs," he said thoughtfully with a mischievous grin. "I can definitely picture the Peredhels as cats."

Kili laughed at that mental picture. It was almost too perfect.

"Kili!" a shout from up the beach came, causing them both to look up. Kili's breath caught in his throat as he realized it was Fili, jogging up to them with a relieved look on his face.

Bain shot him a sly look. "I think I'll leave you two alone," he said, standing up just as Fili reached them. "Fili, good to see you again," he added before grinning at Kili. "See you later, Kili!"

Kili bit back a groan as Bain walked away, no doubt thinking all sorts of things that weren't true about Fili and him. Not that Kili didn't _want_ them to be true. Still, it was nice to be alone with Fili.

"The store was closed when I came by," Fili said with a frown as he sat down next to him. Kili's heart stuttered as he felt the heat of Fili's body so close to his own.

"Yeah, I think Bombur's going to be closing earlier from now on," he replied. "Business hasn't really been that great lately. He, uh, had to let me go."

He didn't like saying it again. Saying it too many times meant that it was real. And if it was real, he was screwed. Maybe this was a sign. Maybe he should just drop out of school after his eighteenth birthday and hitchhike to Seattle or something. It was better than starving to death here.

He forgot to breathe as a warm arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him close. "I'm sorry, Kili," the blond murmured.

He snorted. "Not your fault. Pretty sure you did your part in trying to keep Bombur's business up. You came in nearly every day," he joked, trying to beat back his despair. This would probably be the only time he would be able to feel Fili's arm around him. He wasn't going to ruin in and turn it into a sad moment.

"Well, I had to," Fili quipped back, tilting his head back to smile down at him. "Had to have an excuse to see you every day, after all."

"Yeah, right," he scoffed, shaking his head but his motion was cut short by Fili's hand cupping his cheek. His heart was threatening to beat out of his chest as he looked at the blond in confusion.

"Yeah, right," he said seriously, blue eyes boring into Kili's. "I just never had the courage to ask you out before."

"Why?" he asked breathlessly, not even sure what he wanted to know. Why'd it take Fili so long? Why now? Why _him_?

"Because you are the most amazing person I have ever met," Fili answered. "You have this amazing spirit that just _shines_ with everything you do. And with everything the tribe, my _family_ , had put you through, I was afraid you'd never want anything to do with me."

"No," Kili denied quickly, grasping Fili's wrist desperately. "The tribe and your family haven't done _anything_ to me! You took me and my mother in when we had nowhere else to go!"

"And treated you both like second-class citizens," the blond spat bitterly. "You deserve _more_."

He shook his head slightly. "Maybe," he was willing to concede. He didn't know if he believed it, but he didn't want to argue over it. Not now. "But _you've_ never treated me that way." He smiled shyly at the older boy. "You've never been anything but wonderful to me."

Fili smiled at him and shook his head with a rueful smile. "This is not how I saw this conversation going," he admitted with a sigh. "I wanted to be your _friend_ first. Let you get used to all the supernatural baggage that comes along with me before forcing my feelings on you."

Happiness like he had never known filled Kili. Fili had _feelings_ for _him_. "Well, I'm not going to be scared off by the big, bad wolf," he teased, unable to keep the smile off his face. "And if you were shooting for romantic, the beach at sunset pretty much fits the bill."

The blond laughed before surprising him by wrapping both arms around him and pulling him close. "I suppose, then, it would fit the mood if I were to kiss you now," he whispered conspiratorially, forehead pressed against Kili's.

He swallowed as his throat suddenly went dry. "P-probably," he whispered back, unable to think with Fili filling all of his senses. He was sure he would combust as Fili closed the distance between their mouths and their lips touched for the first time.

Kili hadn't ever really been kissed before so he had nothing to compare it to, but he knew that it was perfect. It was no more than a chaste press of the lips at first, before Fili pulled him closer, sighing into the kiss as he caught Kili's bottom lip between his own. Kili whimpered at the feeling, reaching out and clutching Fili's shirt in an attempt to stay grounded.

Fili pulled away with a final peck on his lips, smiling down at the no-doubt dazed look on his face. "Come on," he said, tugging the younger man up. "I believe I promised you dinner and a story."

Kili couldn't stop smiling as he allowed himself to be led off the beach by Fili. His tentative thoughts about leaving were long gone now. He didn't know how he was going to survive, but there was no way in hell he was giving up Fili.

#

Fili was fighting an internal battle with himself all through dinner, even as he told Kili everything the Council had told him. He was telling the truth when he told Kili he hadn't meant to reveal his feelings to him. Kili needed a friend right now. Not some crazy werewolf that had… imprinted on him, for lack of a better word.

But Kili had looked so down, and had genuinely thought the idea of Fili coming to the store just to see him was ridiculous. Fili couldn't let the wonderful person in front of him continue to think he wasn't anything but amazing.

Besides, Kili seemed to return his feelings and was _happy_. Sure, Fili wasn't naive enough to think Kili felt anything near what he felt yet. He knew what he was feeling wasn't exactly normal. He shouldn't love Kili as deeply as he did with the amount of time he had spent with him. That didn't mean Kili _couldn't_ love him just as deeply.

"So what you're telling me," Kili said with a smirk after he had told him everything and they had settled on the couch to eat dessert, "is that not only are you a werewolf, but you're a _rogue_ werewolf."

"What?" he cried in shock, though the wolf inside him couldn't help but hum in approval at the gleeful glint in his âzyungâl's eyes. "I am not a _rogue_ ," he protested.

"Sorry, Mr. I'm-the-Alpha-and-don't-have-to-listen-to-the-Council," Kili teased. "My mistake."

Fili pouted playfully. "Maybe it was a bit of an overreaction on my part."

"No," the brunet replied seriously with a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't mean to criticize, but you were missing for _three weeks_. Maybe you wouldn't have been gone so long if you had known what was happening."

"But then maybe I wouldn't have been there when you needed me," Fili pointed out, not caring to think what would have happened if he weren't.

"I doubt that factored into the Council's decision," Kili replied with a roll of his eyes before biting his lip pensively. "Is that… vampire... really still alive?"

He set his plate down on the coffee table before sliding an arm around Kili's waist. "I won't let him hurt you. I promise. Besides," he said in distaste. "Balin's probably right. He probably ran off and got his meal elsewhere. Most of them probably aren't accustomed to fighting for their food."

Kili shuddered and leaned into his side, no doubt thinking about how _he_ was nearly their food. Fili plucked Kili's empty pie plate from his hands and put it on the table next to his before wrapping both arms more firmly around him.

He couldn't help thinking that, with the Council's isolationist mindset, they might not have even _minded_ that Kili was killed by a vampire. He wasn't part of the tribe after all.

The thought made his blood boil.

"I think old Dain had the right idea," he murmured into Kili's hair. "We can't be meant to just protect the Khuzdul. Not when there are so many vampires out there killing indiscriminately, hunting and draining people just because they can. Maybe it's time for the hunters to be hunted down."

Kili's breath hitched and his head shot up to look at Fili in fear. "But that puts _you_ in danger," he said in a shaky voice. "Even if Dwalin and Gimli shift and help you, there'd still be a chance…"

"Hey," Fili soothed, kissing the brunet's trembling lips. "It wouldn't be anytime soon. We'd have to figure out how this whole pack thing works first, build up our strength so that we _know_ we could take any vampire in a fight. There's no reason to worry about me. I promise."

Kili looked down. "But you'll eventually have to leave, right? To hunt down vampires?"

Fili frowned. "I'll never leave _you_ ," he replied vehemently, realizing a second too late that it was not something that was said so early in a new relationship, if you could even call what was between them a relationship yet. Kili, though, didn't seemed bother by the overly strong sentiment. He didn't look particularly reassured, either, but he wasn't screaming for the hills.

In fact, the way he was leaning further into Fili's embrace was more than a little reassuring, and made him suspect that maybe he wasn't the only one who felt the connection between them.

Of course, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he _couldn't_ hunt vampires down. What if they retaliated and came after Kili? He didn't really know how vampires thought, but surely if they thought someone was hunting them down, they'd go on the offensive. And any creature okay with draining the lives out of innocent people probably wouldn't play fair.

His arms tightened around the boy in his arms. No, he wouldn't, _couldn't_ , risk dragging Kili into a supernatural fight between werewolves and vampires, not when Kili would have absolutely no way of protecting himself.

And since there was no way he was giving Kili up for _anything_ , no matter how selfish it may be, vampire hunting was out.

To take both of their minds off of things, he put a movie on, a bubble of contentment filling in his chest as Kili curled up next to him to watch. It felt natural to be close to him. _Right_. And he _knew_ that Kili felt it too.

Which is why he was extremely reluctant to bring Kili home. Not just because he wasn't sure Kili's mother treated him like she should, but also because he just didn't want to younger man to go.

"Will you come by tomorrow after school?" he asked as they drove towards Kili's house. "I've got some work backed up in the shop so it won't really be that interesting, but I… like having you close." Again, probably something that _shouldn't_ be said in such a new romantic endeavor, but he couldn't seem to help himself where Kili was concerned. "Bain is welcome as well, of course."

Kili shot him a shy grin when he came to a stop in his drive. "I like being close to you, too," he confessed softly. His smile fell as he glanced towards the house. Fili followed his gaze but couldn't see anything amiss. There were lights flickering through a window, which probably meant his mother was home though.

"I'll walk you in," he said, reaching to unbuckle his seatbelt.

"It's ten feet," Kili protested, stopping Fili's hand before he could unbuckle himself. "Pretty sure I can make it alone."

"Date protocol dictates that I walk you to your door," he argued with a smile.

Kili bit his lip as he smiled back shyly. "So this was a date?"

"Dinner, movie, cuddling on the couch," the blond listed off with a grin. "It was a pretty good date, if I say so myself."

"Well, I still reserve the right of to walk to my own door," Kili replied. "And the right for a _proper_ first date later," he added with a mock-stern look.

"I'll remember that," he murmured, leaning over and bringing their faces close together. "The question is, though," he breathed. "Is do you kiss on the first date?"

Kili huffed a laugh, his breath brushing against Fili's lips and causing him to suppress a shiver. "Seems a bit late to be prudish after the beach," he quipped, closing the gap between them before Fili could respond.

Fili was sure that he could drown in Kili's kisses. He let the younger man set the pace, not wanting to push him into something he wasn't ready for, so he was pleasantly surprised when he felt a tongue brush against the seam of his lips. He opened up without thought, darting his own tongue out to taste Kili, who shuddered in his arms before pulling away with a gasp.

"Goodnight," he said breathlessly, fumbling with the door.

"I'll see you in the morning," Fili called after him cheerfully. Kili shot him a questioning look. "Definitely not letting you bike to school knowing that thing isn't dead."

He gave him a grim smile before turning and walking towards the door. With one more look back, he vanished inside the house.

Fili drove away reluctantly, not liking the look on Kili's face when he realized his mom was home. He didn't _think_ she would hurt him. Nothing he had seen from the brunet so far suggested that he was being abused. Neglected, definitely, though that wasn't conclusive either. Maybe both Kili _and_ his mother needed help. Maybe she wasn't around very often because she was _trying_ to get them _both_ help.

But Kili wouldn't thank him for invading his privacy, and Fili could only really take care of him to the extent Kili allowed.

And Fili had a terrible feeling that Kili needed even more help now that he didn't have any income coming in.

#

Kili tried to sneak pass the living room and back to his bedroom without attracting his mother's attention. He was stopped in his tracks, though, when a glass bottle smashed against the wall about a foot from his head.

"You!" his mother howled, standing unsteadily in the doorway of the living room, holding on to the doorjamb for support. "There you are!" she slurred. "Where've you been?"

"At a friend's place," he answered, trying to step past her to the hallway but was thwarted when she pushed herself off the doorjamb and leaned against the wall of the hallway, blocking his path.

"Friend! Ha!" she cried mockingly, blood-shot eyes staring at him. "Who'd be friends with _you_? Do they have any idea what you did to _me_?"

"Mom, please," he begged, all happiness from his night with Fili draining from him. "Why don't you go to bed while I clean up this mess?"

"He said I was his one…" she hiccupped, not paying Kili's words any mind. "His one true _love_! Then _you_ came along!" she spat hatefully. "And he _left_! He left _me_!"

"Mom…" She had never talked about his father before. Either she was drunker than normal or something else had made her think of him.

"Told me to come here," she sobbed, sliding to the floor despite the bits of glass littering the ground. "Said he'd find me. Said we'd be _safe_! What a liar… He just didn't want _you_. Must've known what a disappointment you'd be."

The accusation stung. The thought that his father had left them because he knew how worthless Kili would be. In his head, he knew it wasn't rational. That there was no way his father could've known anything about him before he was born. Still, it _hurt_.

"Mom," he tried again, knowing it was more than useless to try and talk to her during one of her drunken tirades.

"Don't," she said, standing up wobbly. He was surprised that she even responded. She glared at him for a few moments before seeming to deflate in front of him. "I can't do this anymore," she muttered, turning and walking unsteadily back to her bedroom. She stopped and turned her head to look at him with surprisingly soft eyes. "You look just like him," she whispered in a barely audible voice before disappearing into her room, no doubt to pass out.

Kili blinked back the tears and the hurt, instead grabbing the broom to sweep up the glass on the floor. Thankfully, the bottle had been empty so there was no liquid to mop up.

He couldn't stop thinking about what his mother had said. Could it be true? Did his father _actually_ tell her to come to Erebor? Was it just a blow off from some deadbeat who didn't want the responsibility of a kid? Or did something happen to him? _Had_ he tried to find them?

He knew it was more than useless to think about. There was no way to get any answers anyway. The only connection he had to his father was his mother, and she didn't seem willing to tell him anything she knew. Hell, tonight was the first time she had ever even _mentioned_ him to Kili.

He cleaned up quickly and went to bed, trying desperately to focus on Fili and his kisses instead of his mother's harsh words or the fact that he no longer had a job and was no longer able to feed himself.

How could the worst day of his life also be the best?

Tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Fili frowned, deep in thought as he put the truck in park outside the shop.

Kili had been very quiet this morning. He couldn't help but think that it was because the younger man was rethinking everything that had happened between them. Fili _knew_ he had been moving too fast. He had all but confessed his undying love for the brunet, for heaven's sake! What the hell was wrong with him?

But Kili had been the one to kiss _him_ when he picked him up, so maybe he hadn't messed up _too_ badly. Maybe he was just adjusting to their new relationship and that was why he was quiet?

Fili tried very hard not to think about the apprehensive look on Kili's face when he saw that his mother was home last night. As much as he didn't want Kili to be uncomfortable with their new relationship, he wanted the younger man to have been hurt last night even less.

His thoughts about Kili ground to a halt as he opened the door to the shop and paused when he realized he wasn't alone.

His mother, all four feet ten inches of her, was standing with her arms crossed by the beat-up couch in the corner that usually served as the waiting area for those rare customers that wanted to wait for their cars. From the set of her jaw and the fire in her eyes, he could tell that she was very much _not_ happy with him at the moment.

Which suited him just fine. Because he was certainly not happy with her either.

"You go see Thorin before your own mother?" she asked without preamble in a forced calm voice. "Three weeks you're gone without a word, and all I get is a text? I thought I raised you better."

"Guess you were wrong," he snapped back, trembling with the effort of holding the wolf back. He closed his eyes and counted backwards from ten. "I went to see Thorin because I needed answers," he continued in a level voice as he reined in his anger. "That is the only reason. I am very angry at both of you."

Dis rolled her eyes. "Your uncle didn't even tell me about this whole wolf thing until after you disappeared. No need to get pissy with me about it."

"And your excuse for treating Kili so badly?" he shot at her, enjoying the completely blind-sided look that flickered over her face.

This may have been the woman who raised him, but she was also the one who had hurt his âzyungâl. That was something he could not forgive easily.

"That Ered Luin boy?" she sputtered, thrown off so completely that the anger slipped from her face. "What does he have to do with anything?"

Fili narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't answer my question. You and Thorin and the entire fucking Council have treated him and his mother like second-class citizens ever since they came here. I don't really give a shit what you think about his mother and the things she's done, but what the fuck has Kili ever done to _anybody_? What gives you the right to treat him like shit? Did any of you even _notice_ how malnourished he is? Did you even _care_? Did you…" He cut himself off and took a deep breath, feeling himself start to shake with an impending transformation. He fumed silently as he struggled with the wolf, glaring at his mother who just stared at him in shock.

"Fili Durin," she finally spoke in a soft but steely voice. "If you think I would _ever_ ignore a child who needed help no matter _who_ he was, then changing into a wolf has made you lose your mind. And don't you forget, you man, that I am your mother and you _will_ not speak to me with such disrespectful language."

"I will show you the respect you deserve and no more," Fili growled. "And maybe you didn't willfully ignore it, but you didn't let yourself see it. Or did he look so much healthier a few days ago at Thorin's party? You know, the one you _terrorized_ him at."

She scowled at him. "He's friends with the Peredhels!" she cried in disgust. "Friends with those filthy bloodsuckers who turned you into a _werewolf_! Of course that was going to upset me!"

"I've got news for you, _mother_ ," he said sarcastically. "They didn't turn me into anything! This is who I am!"

"You are _not_ a monster!" she snarled.

Fili started at that. Did she really think he was a monster now?

"I was born this way. If I'm a monster, then I always was a monster," he said in a detached voice. "And if I am a monster, then you married a monster because I got the gene from Dad."

"Maybe I did," Dis muttered bitterly. "Maybe that's why the Khuzdul are so damned secretive. Maybe you're all monsters." She stomped past him and towards the door. She paused before exiting and looked back at him. "And if you care about Kili, maybe you should do him a favor and keep him from becoming involved with a monster."

Fili stared after her as she left the shop. He wanted to be angry at her, wanted to rage at the fact that his own _mother_ apparently had written him off as a monster, but he was just too numb with shock.

How could she think that? Surely when Thorin had explained it to her, he hadn't told her they were _monsters_! They were _protectors_! They kept people _safe_! What part of that was monstrous?

Unless Fili hadn't been told everything.

He glanced at Thror's journal, lying on his desk across the room where he had left it yesterday. He hadn't read it yet. Maybe it went into details that the Council had glossed over.

There was really only one way to find out. He shot a look at the cars that were waiting for attention. Well, they had waited for three weeks. One morning wouldn't hurt much.

He grabbed the journal and settled on the couch to read.

He was re-reading a few worrying bits when Dwalin showed up a few hours later with two bags of food.

"Consider this a thank you," he said gruffly as he dropped one bag in front of Fili. "If it hadn't been for your warning yesterday, pretty sure I'd still be running around lost in the woods right now."

Fili blinked up at him in surprise. "You shifted already?"

"Last night," Dwalin confirmed with a nod, sitting down heavily on the couch next to him. "Craziest thing that's ever happened to me."

"And you were able to change back so quickly?" he asked with a sinking sense of failure. How the hell was he supposed to lead the pack if he couldn't even managed his first transformation nearly as well as Dwalin apparently did.

His cousin shrugged. "Wasn't too hard, but I think it's because I had some warning. I'm sure I would've panicked and done a runner like you if I didn't know it was coming."

"Maybe that's true," Fili conceded, thumping the journal he had been reading. "According to this, our shifting is tied to our emotions. Thror's journal," he explained at Dwalin's questioning look. "Was reading up on the last wolves to see if I could find anything that would be useful."

"Anything?"

Fili rolled his eyes. "Only more problems and questions," he replied, though he was happy to know _why_ the word âzyungâl kept popping into his head when he thought of Kili. He still wasn't ready to share that with anyone just yet, though. "You can borrow it if you want. I'll only end up obsessing over some of the things Thror writes and re-reading it if you don't."

"Anything particularly worrying?" Dwalin asked with a frown as he took the battered old book.

He sighed. "Kind've," he answered. "Thror talks about how hard it is to control the shifting, how people too close can get hurt by the wolf if you lose control and shift in anger."

He was more worried than he let on about that. What if he lost control and hurt Kili? He'd hate himself forever if that happened. But he couldn't stay away from Kili. Even if he weren't inexplicably drawn to the younger man, he knew that Kili needed him now more than ever. He had a sneaking suspicion that without the income from the job at Bombur's, Kili would be able to afford even less food than he had before.

Besides, Kili's self-worth was already low enough. He didn't need Fili telling him to stay away "for his own protection" to add to it. He was sure the brunet would take that the wrong way.

He would just have to keep a tight rein on his anger and his wolf. He would _not_ hurt Kili.

#

Kili sighed in relief as he and Bain pulled out of the school parking lot. He had been keeping his mind carefully blank all day and it had been utterly exhausted. There were so many things he didn't want the Peredhels to know about. Not yet, at least. Not ever, in the case of his mother. They already knew enough as it was.

Of course, with him resolutely concentrating on his food (bought by Tauriel, who didn't even try to pretend she had bought it for herself), lunchtime had been a bit awkward.

"Legolas was annoyed at us both today," Bain commented as he turned towards the road that led to Erebor. "He's not used to not being in on secrets."

Kili snorted at that. "Now he knows how the rest of us feel."

Bain glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before focusing on the road. "So… what exactly are _you_ trying to keep to yourself?"

"What are you?" he shot back defensively.

"Well, I was trying to keep your werewolf's secret," he replied with a roll of his eyes. Kili gave him a wide-eyed look of surprise. "Oh, don't give me that look," Bain said, exasperated. "It wasn't that hard to figure out with Fili disappearing for a few weeks and then showing up on the beach looking for you. But don't worry, I won't tell the vampires anything."

Kili frowned. Apparently he wasn't as good at keeping secrets as he thought. "How do you even know Fili?" he asked grumpily.

"He stopped by Thorin's once or twice when Dad and I were there," he replied with a shrug. "But what I want to know, is how _well_ you know him?" he asked meaningful.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said feebly, blushing as he thought about the kisses he exchanged with Fili last night. And this morning.

Bain grinned at him. "Your red face says differently," he said smugly. "I'm just going to assume you spent all night making out with your werewolf."

Kili felt his face grow hotter. "It wasn't like that," he protested. "But we did kiss," he added with a shy smile, unable to keep his happiness to himself. Bain was already keeping Fili's secret from his boyfriend for him. "I _really_ like him," he admitted.

That was probably an understatement. He felt more for Fili than what really made sense, all things considered. He didn't want to use the L word or anything. Not only was it way too soon, but Kili was afraid if he let himself fully appreciate how much he felt for the werewolf, he'd only be setting himself up for disappointment.

Bain gave him a soft smile. They rode in silence for a while after that, Kili staring unseeingly into the trees as they whipped by.

"So," Bain said suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Are we headed to your house or what?"

"Um, Fili asked if we wanted to hang out in the shop with him?" Kili said sheepishly, having forgotten about telling Bain about Fili's invitation. "I kinda told him I would come. He said you were welcome as well but you don't have to if you don't want to."

The other teen just grinned at him. "Are you kidding? Someone's gotta make sure Fili's intentions towards you are respectable."

Kili groaned as they crossed into Erebor. "If you say a word, I swear you won't have to worry about vampires or werewolves anymore because I'll kill you myself."

"Pretty sure you might start a war there," Bain quipped with a laugh. "Because Elladan might kill you then, and I'm sure Fili would kill _him_ , and then it would just get worse from there."

Kili shook his head at the absurdity of the notion. He really didn't think Fili would do something as crazy as killing someone to avenge his death, let alone start a full scale war between werewolves and vampires. Of course, a war between the two was also unlikely because Fili was the only werewolf thus far. It would be a very short war if it were one against six.

"You sure you want me to tag along to the shop?" Bain asked. "I won't be offended if you want alone time with Fili."

Kili bit his lip. He _really_ wanted to take Bain up on his offer, but he had made the other boy drive him all the way to Erebor. He wasn't going to just tell him to get lost.

He opened his mouth to assure Bain that he wanted him around but the other boy cut him off before he could get any words out.

"You want to be alone with Fili," he laughed. "That's okay. I have a boyfriend of my own I can go visit."

He gave him a sheepish smile. "Thanks, but I'm sorry I made you drive me all the way out here. I'll start bringing my bike to school again." He was sure Fili wouldn't mind if he threw it in the bed of his truck in the mornings.

"I'm still going to drive you home, Kili," Bain told him with a frown. "Unless your werewolf wants to take over doing that as well?"

Kili groaned. "I don't want anyone to go out of their way for me," he replied morosely.

"Well, Tauriel threatened to buy you a car if you kept on insisting on biking," he remarked. "Pretty sure she'd do it, too. So it's either let someone drive you or be forced to accept a car."

Kili scowled. Tauriel would probably do it too. "That'd be a useless gift," he retorted. "I can't drive."

"Then you don't want her wasting the money, now, do you?"

"Hmph," he grunted and crossed his arms. "Doesn't seem like any of them really worry all that much about money. I guess if you don't have to eat, that cuts down on your budget."

"They have good investment techniques," Bain confided with a laugh. "They only invest in companies Tauriel sees are going to be successful."

"That's cheating!" Kili cried in outrage, though secretly a bit jealous. It would be nice to have enough money to not have to worry about it.

Bain laughed some more. "Maybe, but who would ever know? And I'm sure they have it set up so that it could never be traced to them. Besides, I'm pretty sure Tauriel would bankrupt them with her shopping if they didn't have so much money. And speaking of Tauriel's shopping, she wanted me to ask you if you were still up for the party Saturday."

"Why didn't she just ask me herself?" he asked, having completely forgotten about his birthday party with everything that had happened.

"She wasn't sure if you were still mad at them," Bain shrugged. "You didn't speak to them much today."

Kili wasn't sure if he was still mad at his friends or not. They hadn't really apologized for calling Fili dangerous and implying that he didn't care what happened to Kili. They didn't even _know_ Fili. How could they accuse him of being so heartless?

But he knew they did care. They had been taking care of him for _weeks_ , all the while trying to spare Kili's pride. He might not have liked it too much, but he did appreciate it. And he wasn't dumb enough to think it wasn't needed, especially now that he had lost his job.

"She said to be sure and tell you that your werewolf is welcome at the party as well," Bain added.

Kili frowned. "This isn't just a ploy to find out who Fili is, is it? And I thought there was a treaty that kept them off each other's land?"

"The Peredhels don't care so much about the land thing," he replied with a frown. "And I don't _think_ it's a trick, but I really don't know what goes on in Tauriel's mind sometimes. Elladan told me that she was sincere in wanting to make amends though."

"We'll see," Kili said after thinking it over for a minute. "I don't know if Fili will come even if I decide to, but I don't know if I'm up for celebrating with everyone. Maybe if they apologized, but they haven't."

"That's understandable," Bain said with a nod. "But think about it, okay? I promise you it'll be fun."

"Maybe," he muttered, wondering what Fili would think about him going off to party with a bunch of vampires. He'd probably worry the entire time he was gone.

They pulled up to the shop then and Kili hopped out. "You sure you don't want to stay?" he offered half-heartedly as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Oh, go make out with your boyfriend," Bain replied, laughing at the blush that Kili could not help.

He hastily closed the door and walked into the shop, frowning as he looked around but didn't see Fili. He shifted uncertainly, wondering if the blond forgot he was coming, but he wasn't left wondering for long as the back door of the shop opened and Fili walked in, in the middle of putting on a t-shirt.

Kili's mouth went dry at seeing the display of skin, but he quickly swallowed in an attempt to get relief as Fili caught sight of him.

"Sorry," the werewolf said sheepishly. "Thought I'd be able to beat you here."

Kili was just relieved that he hadn't been forgotten. "No problem, I just got here. Where were you?" he couldn't help asking.

If anything, Fili looked even guiltier at the question. "Well I… might have been following you and Bain in wolf form," he admitted. "I swear I'm not some crazy stalker," he added hastily.

"I didn't think you were," Kili said, chuckling at Fili's slightly panicked look. "You really shouldn't be worrying so much about me. I'm sure you have more important things to do."

"Hey," Fili said softly, crossing the room quickly and wrapping his arms around Kili. "Nothing's more important than keeping you safe."

"Just because I was almost vampire food doesn't mean I'm in anymore danger than anyone else," he remarked.

The blond blanched at the words. "I can't help worrying about you," he confessed. "Not after coming so close to…" he trailed off without saying the words before sighing. "But you're probably right."

"This relationship will probably run a lot smoother if you get used to me being right," he quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Fili chuckled. "Is that so?" he asked, pulling Kili closer and causing his breath to stutter in his throat.

"Y-yes," he whispered, gasping as he felt Fili's nose nuzzling his ear.

"Bain decide not to join us?" he asked, nipping lightly at Kili's earlobe.

He stiffened and moaned at the contact. "He… he said something about giving us alone time," he stammered out, shivering as Fili lips moved to his neck. He clutched the back of Fili's shirt tightly as his lips slowly kissed their way up to his lips.

Kili whimpered into the kiss and tried to press closer to Fili as the blond's tongue all but devoured his mouth. He felt like every nerve in his body was on fire. It was both too much and not enough at the same time, and he never wanted it to end.

They were both panting hard when Fili pulled away and rested his forehead against Kili's. "I'm sure I could get addicted to that," Fili whispered, tucking a strand of Kili's hair behind his ear before frowning. "You don't braid your hair."

He shrugged in reply. "I don't know what all the braids mean. I'd hate to braid it and it end up meaning something crazy like 'I just murdered the chief's prized bulldog' or something."

Fili's frown intensified, as if he knew exactly what Kili was not saying. Maybe he did.

"Will you let me braid it tonight?" he asked. "I promise not to put braids that say you're a murderer in your hair."

Something warm spread throughout his chest at the offer. He knew how important braids were to the Khuzdul. "Are you allowed to do that?" he asked uncertainly.

Fili smirked. "I thought we established that I can do whatever I want as the Alpha of the wolf pack."

Kili snorted. "A pack of one."

"Actually no," he replied, stepping back and taking Kili's bag from him to set it down next to an old couch off to the side. "Dwalin shifted last night."

Something twisted unpleasantly in Kili's stomach. Fili being a werewolf was a secret that had brought them together. With another wolf on the scene, the secret wouldn't hold them together like it had been. What happened when Fili realized that Kili really wasn't that interesting?

"Well, at least you won't have to protect everyone on your own now," he said as Fili maneuvered him onto the couch.

"Yeah, now we just have to figure out what protecting everyone entails," he said heavily, sitting down next to him.

"I thought you were going to hunt down vampires," Kili said in confusion. "That's what you said last night."

"We're still a little too green to start thinking about doing that yet," the blond replied. "How was your day? Have your vampire friends figured out your boyfriend is a werewolf yet?"

He felt like preening at the word boyfriend, though it felt far too inadequate to encompass just what Fili was to him. Still, it felt nice to hear it. He sighed, though, as the question fully sunk in. "Not sure if I'd call them friends at the moment," he confessed. "We kinda had a falling out yesterday once they found out about the whole werewolf thing. I didn't tell them!" he said quickly as he realized what it sounded like.

"I wouldn't have been upset if you had," Fili assured, wrapping an arm around his waist. "If the treaty is going to be back in operation, it's only fair that they know that there are wolves on the other side of the boundary."

"Yes, well, one of them can read minds. I don't think it'd work on you or any other wolf," he told him at his worried shock. "The one who can see the future can't see you. I think you have some natural defense to it or something."

"How do you know the other one can't see us?" Fili asked.

"Um, she saw me die from the vampire attack," he said reluctantly, not wanting to think about how that could very easily have happened. Fili's tightened hold on him told him that he didn't like thinking about it either. "So she obviously didn't see you save me."

"Right… So the one who can read minds saw me transform in your memories?"

Kili shook his head. "I thought about the attack when Tauriel mentioned it, and about you saving me. Legolas just saw you in wolf form and told the others that there was a werewolf."

"So what exactly did you fight about?" the blond asked curiously. "It must have been something big if you're still mad at them. You don't strike me as the type to hold a grudge."

"They called you dangerous and insinuated that you wouldn't care if something were to happen to me, that none of the Khuzdul ever had," Kili answered with a scowl. "They just decided you were some kind of monster without even bothering to know you."

Fili growled and pulled away. Kili looked at him in surprise as he realized he was trembling in anger. He reached out to touch him but Fili held up a trembling hand as he breathed deeply to calm down.

"They are _wrong_ about me not caring," the blond ground out. "Kili, I'd rather rip out my own heart than have something happen to you."

He rolled his eyes. "I know that," he replied, though he hadn't realized Fili felt so strongly about him. It gave him hope that maybe he wasn't the only one who felt more than he should.

"But I _am_ dangerous," Fili admitted with a sigh.

Kili frowned, scooting closer to the werewolf and wrapping his arms around his middle. "Not to me."

" _Especially_ to you," he insisted even as he returned Kili's embrace. "I can't always control the shifting. When the wolf gets angry, he fights to come out. And anyone around me could get hurt."

"Then we'll just be careful," Kili said, a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if Fili tried to send him away?

Fili shook his head. "It's not as easy as that. The wolf feels emotions differently than humans. His emotions are simpler. More complex emotions like annoyed or irritated or grumpy or anything like that just translates to anger to the wolf, which triggers his fighting instincts."

"Are you… are you trying to tell me I shouldn't be around you?" Kili asked in a weak voice, hating himself for even voicing the question.

"No!" Fili cried with wide eyes, tightening his grip on Kili. "Never. I will _always_ want you around. I just thought you deserved a fair warning."

Kili sagged in Fili's arms in relief. "Good."

"Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on your friends?" the blond suggested after a moment of just holding Kili. "They're just basing their opinions on what they've seen in the past. Not that they should be second-guessing your decisions, but they must care about you."

Kili sighed. "Well, if the werewolf can forgive the vampires, I guess I can try," he said wryly. "I might wait until after Saturday though." He cringed thinking about what Tauriel probably had planned. She always tended to go over-the-top in everything she did.

"What's Saturday?" Fili asked.

"Oh, um, they had planned a birthday party for me," he explained shyly, having forgotten that Fili didn't know about that.

"I didn't know your birthday was Saturday!"

"Well, it's technically Thursday, but Tauriel and Elrohir decided to throw me a party on Saturday. It's not supposed to be anything big, but Tauriel tends to go overboard," he said.

"And just where is this party?" Fili inquired with a raised brow. "And is your boyfriend invited?"

Kili rolled his eyes. "I didn't have a boyfriend when they made the plans. And it's at the Peredhel house. Bain told me today that they did invite my 'werewolf friend,' but I'm sure they just did that to find out who you are."

"Maybe it'd be a good thing for me to go," Fili said thoughtfully. "I might as well meet our vampire neighbors. And if you're going to be friends with them, I want to make sure they're safe."

"They are," Kili assured him, remembering what Bain told him yesterday. "They still have their human souls."

"Forgive a werewolf for being paranoid," the blond said, dropping a kiss on his forehead as he stood. "Now, I really should get to work. I neglected it this morning, and the cars are beginning to pile up."

"Right," Kili said with a smile, pulling out his Trig book. "You do your work, and I'll do mine."

Fili grinned. "Then dinner," he agreed, leaning down to give Kili a proper kiss before heading over to an old blue Ford.

Kili smiled to himself as he opened his math book. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to concentrate on sines and cosines with Fili leaning over the engine of that car so distractingly, but considering he didn't understand much of Trig anyway, he figured the view was worth a bad grade on his homework.

Tbc…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Kili could not help the smile on his face. He had had a wonderful night with Fili the day before. It was difficult to be worried about anything with Fili's soft blue eyes smiling at him over dinner, or his sure fingers running through his hair afterwards.

It seemed as though the weather had decided to share his mood, with the sun shining brightly, a slight rarity for the normally gloomy Olympic peninsula.

His fingers kept creeping up to touch the braids that were still in his hair, having held up pretty well even though he had slept on them. He hadn't had the courage to ask Fili what they meant. He'd rather have his ridiculous dreams of Fili putting braids in his hair that proclaimed his undying love for him. Especially since, in reality, their meanings were probably much more mundane than that.

Bain shot him a knowing smirk as he slid into his seat in homeroom, but Kili didn't let it faze his good mood. Not with the memory of Fili's kisses this morning fresh in his mind.

"You don't have to drive me to Erebor," he said instead. "Fili's coming to pick me up."

He really hadn't been able to argue with the werewolf's logic when he said it was easier to just pick him up than to follow him in wolf form. And since it wasn't possible to talk the over-protective wolf from following him and Bain on the deserted road that led from Dale to Erebor, he had allowed Fili to come pick him up himself.

Besides, it felt _nice_ that someone cared so much about him.

Because the sun was out, he was surprised to see Tauriel and Elrohir slip into their seats just as the tardy bell rang. Since their teacher called them to attention, he didn't have time to ask. As soon as they were released for first period, though, Tauriel answered him before he could.

"The sunlight just makes us look paler than normal," she explained in a low voice, a relieved light in her eyes. "If we are only outside for a few minutes and nobody looks too closely, it doesn't look that odd. And I am _so_ glad you're speaking to us again! I really am sorry we jumped to conclusions about your werewolf, but we just want you to be _safe_."

Kili didn't bother to point out that he _hadn't_ spoken to them yet, knowing she had seen him asking his question. "That other vampire," he whispered the word so low it was barely audible, "didn't just look 'paler than normal.'"

"That's because he had lost his humanity," Elrohir answered with a serious frown. "If he weren't hungry, his eyes would have been red."

"Your eyes change color?" he asked in confusion.

"It's an odd quirk," Tauriel answered, looping her arm through his and leading him out of the classroom. "So I've seen you coming Saturday night, but are you coming alone or…?"

Kili sighed. "Fili's coming too."

He didn't say anything more before scurrying to class, feeling even happier now that he had made amends with his friends. Well, Tauriel and Elrohir, at least. But considering how the vampires were so close, making up with one pretty much meant making up with them all.

He didn't like people being upset with him or being upset with other people. Life was hard enough as it was without adding petty things like that on top of it.

"So from your daydreaming," Legolas said with a smirk as he unceremoniously sat down next to Kili at lunch, "can I assume that this Fili that is coming Saturday is more than a friend? Or at least that you _want_ him to be?"

"Not going to tell me that's _dangerous_ , are you?" Kili asked in a warning tone.

The blond vampire shrugged. "I only know what I've seen from the minds of others, and none of that really seemed to point to dangerous to humans, though the wolves can probably be as volatile as the average human just with sharp teeth and claws."

"You weren't with them last time they came here?" he asked in surprise.

Legolas shook his head. "My father and I were found by Tauriel, and then we all found Elrond and his family. I'm really not sure my father would have had the strength to resist the call of blood if he hadn't found his mate in Elrond."

"Mate?" Kili repeated as the others sat down at the table.

"Our kind each have a mate," Elrohir explained. "Like a soulmate. Personally, I think _everyone_ , human or not, has one. We can just _feel_ it when we meet them. It's like lightning. When it hits you, you just _know_. It's probably a good thing we can tell who our mates are. We're immortal. Can't be falling in love over and over and telling every boy or girl we think is _it_ our secret. It wouldn't be a secret for much longer if that happened."

"Not to mention that we'd have a lot of vampires turning their lovers only to grow tired of them after a while," Tauriel added. "It'd be a nightmare with jilted lovers everywhere."

Kili shot a speculative look at Bain, who didn't seem like any of this information was new to him. Did that mean that he was Elladan's mate? More importantly, did that mean that Bain was going to be turned into a vampire?!

"Probably," Legolas whispered to him before shifting the focus of the conversation. "Do werewolves have anything similar?"

Kili shrugged. "They wouldn't need to, right? They aren't immortal like you guys."

"They can be," Elladan commented. "As long as they keep shifting, they don't age. At least that's what the wolves said last time."

"They actually volunteered to tell you their secrets?" Tauriel asked in amusement.

Elrohir snorted. "No, they used it as a threat, saying that they'd be around as long as we were. Elladan sensed they were being truthful though."

Kili's heart sank at that. Fili failed to mention that in any of their conversations. Surely he knew. Why didn't he tell Kili? Wasn't that something that an important detail to tell your boyfriend?

"So he _is_ your boyfriend," Legolas said smugly. "And I'm _sure_ he has a good reason for not telling you. You shouldn't jump to conclusions."

That was all Kili could think about for the rest of the day, though. He really should have known that what he had with Fili was too good to be true. Sure, Fili might want to be with him now, but in ten, twenty years when Kili was growing older and Fili stayed young? No way.

He walked gloomly to the front of the school after the final bell, trying to muster a smile as he spotted Fili's truck, but not sure if he was very successful.

It was hard to be happy with what he had with Fili when he knew there was an expiration date on the horizon.

Fili gave him a broad smile as he slid into the truck, leaning over to pull him into a deep kiss, making Kili's toes curl as he gripped the werewolf's biceps tightly. He blinked in a slight daze as Fili pulled away.

Maybe it wouldn't be as hard as he thought enjoying this while it lasted.

"What was that all about?" he couldn't help asking, unable to not notice the fact that the students milling around the building were staring.

Fili smirked at him and put the truck into drive. "I like seeing you in my braids," he replied simply, causing a flash of heat to flare in Kili's stomach at the possessive quality of the words.

It didn't matter that this wouldn't last forever, Kili decided resolutely. It didn't mean that Fili cared about him any less _now_. Why would he bother telling Kili he was immortal anyway? Being a werewolf wasn't like being a vampire. Being a werewolf was something you inherited, not something you could become. Maybe Fili didn't like thinking about Kili growing older without him anymore than Kili liked thinking about it.

It was probably didn't mean anything.

But still, why would Fili keep _this_ from him when he hadn't kept anything _else_ from him?

Or had he?

"You're being quiet? Did something happen at school?" Fili asked in concern as they pulled up to the shop and he shut the truck off.

Kili sighed, figuring that he might as well ask. It would only drive him crazy if he didn't. "Why didn't you tell me you were immortal?"

"Because I'm not," he answered.

"As long as you don't stop shifting, you won't age. If you never stop shifting, that makes you immortal," he argued.

"But I don't plan on shifting for very long," Fili told him, reaching over and taking his hand. "It's very hard to stop shifting, but I'm going to do it," he promised. "You're not going to grow old without me, Kili Oakley."

Kili frowned. "But what about the rest of the pack? What about the vampires?"

"The rest of the pack is just Dwalin for now, though I'm sure others will shift," he replied. "And they can take care of the vampires. I'm not going to give you up."

It nearly broke his heart, but he gently pulled his hand from Fili's. "I can't let you do that. Not for me," he whispered brokenly. "People are _dying_ and you can help them…"

"I _will_ help them. I just… " Fili sighed and opened his door. "Let's go inside and talk about this." Kili hesitated, wondering if just leaving would be the least selfish thing to do but knowing he couldn't just _leave_. "Please?"

He nodded, grabbing his bag and following Fili into the shop. Unfortunately, whatever conversation they were planning to have was instantly put on hold as they caught sight of Dwalin pacing angrily in the shop.

"Kili, go upstairs," Fili said firmly.

"But—"

" _Now_ ," he demanded, giving Kili a helpless look. "He's close to shifting."

Kili gulped and darted up the stairs to Fili's apartment, knowing that being a puny human around an angry werewolf was not a good idea when the werewolf didn't have a good target for his anger. Fili he trusted to not hurt him. Dwalin, though, was an unknown entity to him.

#

"Dwalin, _calm down_ ," Fili ordered as soon as Kili was safely upstairs. His voice resonated oddly in shop, and to both of their surprise, Dwalin stopped trembling in barely repressed anger. "What happened?"

"If found my fuckin' One, is what happened!" he cried, throwing himself down on the couch in frustration and hanging his head. "I took one look at him and the wolf cried out _âzyungâl_ , and my whole fuckin' world was turned upside down!"

Fili frowned, thinking of his own One upstairs. He didn't understand what Dwalin's problem was. Unless his cousin hadn't been into guys before since he _had_ said "he," but he didn't think that was an issue.

Still, Thror's journal had led him to believe that finding one's âzyungâl was a rare blessing. What were the chances that _both_ of them had found their Ones so quickly when they had just started shifting?

"I don't understand why you're upset," he admitted, sitting down tentatively next to the older man. "I mean, I know going from zero to head over heels in love takes a little adjusting, but—"

"What do you mean you _know_?" Dwalin asked, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. "Has it happened to you, too?"

He shot a meaningful look at the stairs that led to his apartment. "What do you think?"

"Fuck," he exhaled, shaking his head. "I should've known as soon as I saw the braid. Then you know how crazy this is."

"Well, I'll admit I was already halfway falling for Kili before all this happened, but yeah, I know that it's crazy," he agreed. "But it isn't a _bad_ thing. Thror described it as finding your _soulmate_."

"Yeah, well, yours isn't ten years younger than you," Dwalin remarked bitterly.

" _Ten_ years younger?" Fili asked incredulously. Dwalin had imprinted on a sixteen year old? "Well, if it makes you feel better, the age of consent in Washington is sixteen."

"No, that doesn't fucking make me feel better," he snapped, trembling once more with anger.

" _Calm down_ ," Fili ordered again in that oddly resonate voice, watching in amazement as it worked. That must be the Alpha voice that Thror had written about, the one that the pack would have no choice but to obey. Fili grimaced. That was one thing he would _not_ be using very often. He didn't like the idea of taking away someone's will.

"Who?" he asked once Dwalin's wolf wasn't in danger of making a visit.

"Ori," came the miserable answer as Dwalin dropped his head in his hands.

It really wasn't surprising to Fili once he thought about it. Dwalin always had had a soft spot for the younger Miner brother. And it was clear as day that Ori hero-worshipped Dwalin. While it might be an unconventional match _now_ , it wouldn't be so odd when Ori was out of high school. And even if Dwalin _did_ start a relationship with Ori now, well, like he had said, it wouldn't be _illegal_ , even if it might push the bounds of acceptability.

"His father won't object," Fili said comfortingly. "How can he being on the Council and all and _knowing_ about the whole One thing?"

"That's not the fucking _point_!" Dwalin hissed. "Ori is too young and innocent to be drawn into all this wolf shit. I'm surprised you let Kili be."

The blond bristled at that and had to resolutely fight back his own wolf as he stood up in anger. "Kili would be _dead_ if it weren't for 'all this wolf shit,' as you put it," he shot back. "He was two second from being a fucking bloodsucker's next meal before I jumped in and saved him. So _no_ , I don't regret dragging Kili into anything."

Dwalin winced and hung his head lower. "Sorry. I didn't know."

Fili sighed as he sat back down, rubbing the back of his neck reflexively. "Look, the way I see it, fate has just given us a shit-ton of responsibility which is going to be hard as fuck to live up to. We may as well take the gifts we're given without spoiling them with guilt. Besides, I know that the safest place for Kili is right by my side, so that I can protect him from anything that tries to hurt him."

He snorted. "Maybe you're right. I'd still like to keep Ori at a distance, though, just until I can figure this whole wolf thing out first."

"That's your decision," Fili said with a shrug. "I may have done the same thing if I had a choice."

That was probably a lie, though. He could no more stay away from Kili than he could stop breathing. He had felt like a dagger had been plunged into his chest earlier when Kili pulled his hand away. If he had to choose between his duties as a wolf and Kili, he'd choose Kili every time. But it didn't seem like Kili was willing to let him be that selfish.

Kili was right, he knew that, but how could fate be so cruel as to give him Kili and then take him away?

#

"Everything okay?" Kili asked as Fili opened the hatch and climbed up into the apartment. He wanted to put off continuing the conversation from the truck. He was afraid that at the end of it, they were going to have to break things off between them and he really couldn't bear that.

But he could bear the thought of people dying at the hands of vampires roaming unchecked _because of him_ even less.

"Yes and no," Fili answered heavily, letting the hatch fall shut and flopping down on the couch next to Kili. "Dwalin was panicking because he found his One and he's considerably younger than him."

"His One?" he said, voice hesitant because he knew that whatever that was, it was important.

Fili worried his lip as he leaned forward, looking at his hands clasped between his legs instead of at Kili. "It's said to be a rare gift to a werewolf, finding his One. His soulmate. The wolf's _âzyungâl_."

Kili swallowed thickly, heart sinking at the thought of Fili having a soulmate out there that he hadn't found yet. "Âzyungâl?"

The blond glanced at him before looking down again. "It roughly translates to love of loves. It's the wolf's one true mate, the one he searches his entire life for, the one that signals an end to the shifting so that he can settle down and have a normal life. Once the wolf catches sight of them, he just _knows_."

"A-and Dwalin found that?" he asked, shooting for a casual tone but missing badly. "But in someone too young?"

"Sixteen," Fili replied with a shrug. "It seems young to Dwalin _now_ maybe, but he won't age until he stops shifting. He can give him time to catch up with him before he stops shifting."

Kili shook his head. "But I thought the wolves were meant to protect people? Why would Dwalin find his One now after he just started shifting?"

"That's the troubling part," he stated with a frown, leaning back on the couch and looking up. "In the past, the wolves were rarely so close in age to their Ones. The legends say that the Creator was never so cruel as to make them choose between their duties and staying with their âzyungâl. So why is this happening?"

"This means you _can't_ stop shifting for me, you know?" Kili pointed out sadly, trying to blink back tears. "If Dwalin's the other wolf and will stop shifting for Ori, you _have_ to stay a wolf to protect people."

Fili finally looked at him, blue eyes full of pain. He reached out a hand to wipe away a tear as it fell from Kili's eye. "Why does Dwalin get to stop shifting for his One but I am not allowed to do the same?"

Kili's breath caught his throat. Surely Fili wasn't saying what he thought he was…

"Âzyungâl," Fili breathed as he leaned closer and pressed their foreheads together. "Please don't push me away. I don't think I could take it."

Kili's heart beat loudly in his chest as he realized the power he held over this wonderful, strong man. How could he possibly push him away? How could he have even thought that was a _possibility_ a few moments ago? It would only ruin both of them if he did.

A chilling thought ran through him though.

"You don't just care about me because of the wolf, right?" he asked before he could stop himself. Fili's eyes widened but he rushed to explain himself before the blond could reply. "I guess it really doesn't matter, of course, because you _are_ the wolf, but this isn't just a trick of biology or magic or whatever, right? I don't… want you to be shackled to me against your will…"

"Kili," the blond said seriously. "The wolf may have helped things along, but my _soul_ chose you the moment I laid eyes on you that first day I walked into Bombur's store. Trust me when I say that there is _no one_ I'd rather be _shackled_ to in the entire world."

"I love you," Kili blurted out as tears of happiness gathered in his eyes. He wasn't afraid to say the L word in that moment. Not with Fili looking at him with such tenderness.

"I love you too," Fili said, sweeping him into a soft kiss that stayed gentle and chaste. Kili was glad. The emotions of the moment was overwhelming enough without adding passion into the mix.

"I still don't want you to stop shifting," he whispered as the kiss broke. "I can't stop thinking about that vampire that nearly killed me, and the fact that there are more of him out there preying on more people every day," he explained hastily at Fili's frown. "I'll understand if you want to stop shifting when I get too much older, but… please don't do it anytime soon?"

Fili sighed and pulled him in close. "Okay," he said simply, dropping a kiss to one of Kili's braids.

A knot loosened in Kili's chest and he sank into Fili's embrace in true happiness. He was sure he'd hate himself for telling Fili to fight vampires once he actually went out and _did_ it, leaving Kili alone to fret at home, but he couldn't in good conscience keep Fili from doing what he was _meant_ to do.

The future would no doubt hold a ton of fear and worry, but as long as it held Fili too, Kili could live with that.

Tbc…


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The rest of the week was a blur of happiness for Kili, with every moment he wasn't sleeping or at school spent with Fili. The werewolf had closed up his shop early on Thursday, and they had spent his birthday relaxing on the beach, Kili sharing his secret little cove with his boyfriend and feeling like the luckiest man in the entire world.

It was hard to believe that he had once thought he would leave Erebor in the dust once he turned eighteen. No way could he do that now.

Before he knew it, it was Saturday evening and his leg was bobbing nervously as he sat on the couch in Fili's shop as the werewolf argued with his two packmates about going into vampire territory.

"Fili, you going off alone in _their_ territory doesn't make any sense!" Gimli, who had shifted just the day before, cried in exasperation. "I get that there might need to be a meeting between us and them, but going alone is stupid."

"I'm not going alone," Fili said with a roll of his eyes. "Kili's going too."

"I'm going to question your judgment if you insist on walking into a vampire's lair with only your very vulnerable One as backup," Dwalin stated. "Unless you're planning on him distracting them with his blood if you run into trouble."

Fili _snarled_ at that, sounding more animal than human to Kili and causing him to start. "Kili will be perfectly safe."

"Of course I will," he spoke up, tired of sitting there as they argued, especially since the argument was now turning to _him_. "And it's _my_ birthday party. Of course I'm going! I'm sure you're both welcome to come, as well, if it makes you feel better."

They both shuffled their feet awkwardly at the invitation, which made it hard for Kili to suppress a laugh. It was obvious the thought of venturing into a vampires "lair" made them nervous.

"They are staying here," Fili stated with finality. "We are going now or we'll be late."

"Are you _sure_ this is a good idea, Fili?" Dwalin asked, concern written all over his face.

"I trust Kili's judgment," the blond said firmly. "And if they're Kili's friends, then they are my friends."

Kili wondered exactly how many times Fili was going to have to say that to himself before he actually believed. Don't get him wrong, he was grateful that Fili was going against his gut instincts to make nice with his vampire friends, but he wasn't delusional enough to think that the blond werewolf wasn't still wary of them.

"Thank you for this," he said after they had left and were nearing the turnoff to the Peredhels' house. "I know it won't be comfortable for you to be in the same room with a bunch of vampires."

Fili sighed and shook his head. "It's much harder to know that you are around them _all the time_ and I don't know for sure if I can trust them. I trust _you_ , Kili, but…"

"I know," he told him with a smile. "Now, let's see if we can find this house of theirs. Tauriel warned me that the turn off can be tricky to find, especially in the dark."

"I don't think that will be a problem," Fili said as they approached a tree with twinkle lights wrapped around it. They turned and followed a path that had a lit up tree every ten yards or so until they finally came to a large white house sitting on a hill.

"Ready to meet the vampires?" Kili couldn't help teasing, slipping his hand into Fili's as he met him in front of the truck.

Fili squeezed his hand with a smirk. "Ready for anything with you at my side."

Of course, because his friends were oddly impatient for timeless beings, Tauriel and Elrohir burst out of the door at that moment to greet them.

"Kili!" they shouted gleefully, before taking in Fili with keen interest.

"You must be Fili," Tauriel said.

"The werewolf," Elrohir added with satisfaction.

Tauriel scrunched up her nose in distaste. "You smell horrible."

Fili narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't smell so great yourself."

"Then you can all breathe through your mouths," Kili interrupted, not really liking where the conversation was going. Luckily, his suggestion seemed to break whatever tension was building between them and they all laughed.

"Come on," Elrohir said, grabbing Kili's free hand and tugging. "Our parents want to meet the both of you."

Fili's hand in his tightened as Elrohir's tug threatened to pull him away. He shot him a reassuring smile, not wanting the wolf to think for one second that anyone could take him from him.

The other vampires were all waiting for them in the large foyer when they stepped inside. Bain was there as well, tucked against Elladan's side. He shot Kili a grin and a wink.

Kili's eyes immediately went to the two unfamiliar figures in the middle. The tall, imposing blond reminded him of Legolas a lot, and he knew that this must be Thranduil from what he had heard. He really couldn't help shrinking closer to Fili as the vampire's gold eyes swept over him with a look of disdain. Fili's arm wrapped around his waist as Thranduil's eyes looked over the werewolf with sharp assessment, taking in the threat he knew the wolf could impose.

By contrast, Elrond's face was nothing but warm and welcoming, eyes teaming with fascination as they took in Fili and how close he stood to Kili.

"Kili, Fili," Elrohir said with a smile, "these are our parents, Elrond and Thranduil Peredhel."

"Nice to meet you," Kili greeted politely, keeping his eyes mostly on Elrond, who seemed the friendly of the two.

"You are most welcome here, Kili and Fili," Elrond's deep voice intoned, giving them both a smile. "Please do not mind my husband," he said with a fond glance to the blond vampire at his side. "It takes him a while to warm up to strangers."

If Thranduil took offense to the gentle ribbing from his husband, his face didn't give him away. "We made Italian tonight," he drawled in a bored sort of voice. "I hope you are both hungry, as you and Bain are the only ones who will be eating it."

Kili flushed but Legolas shot his father a sly look before he could reply.

"Don't pretend that you didn't enjoy cooking, Father," he teased and sent Kili a conspiratorial wink. "You certainly fussed enough over the menu."

"Hmph," he huffed, sticking his nose in the air.

"Perhaps we should discuss business before letting you kids get to your party," Elrond suggested, looking amused at his mate's antics.

"That is an excellent idea," Fili agreed, keeping an arm around Kili's waist as he followed the vampire into the dining room and taking a seat on one side of the table, scooting his chair so close to Kili that there was no space between them.

"Am I correct to assume you speak for the pack and the Council?" Elrond asked as he and Thranduil took a seat across from them. The others took seats around the table as well.

"As Alpha, I speak for the pack," Fili answered before tipping his head ruefully. "The Council and I don't always see eye to eye, but the Council doesn't have final say when it comes to the supernatural. I do."

Kili's heart swelled with pride at the strength in Fili's voice and his sure demeanor. The blond had confided his fears of not being the leader the pack deserved, but Kili thought he was crazy to ever doubt his abilities as Alpha.

"And what does the Alpha plan to do?" Thranduil asked coolly, seemingly unimpressed by Fili's words.

"Once the pack is complete and strong, we plan on hunting down the vampires out there killing humans," he declared, blue eyes daring the vampires to argue with him.

"You plan on following in the footsteps of your predecessor," Elrond remarked.

"What?" Fili asked in confusion.

"One of the wolves before, Dain Ironhill, came to us before we left," Elrond answered. "Wanted advice on how to hunt down and kill vampires. I don't think those wolves ever really dealt with a vampire outside of us.

"Did you help him?" Fili wondered. "Do you know if he was successful in his hunting?"

Kili knew Fili was very interested in what happened to Dain Ironhill. If the older wolf _were_ out there, he would be a huge help in figuring out the whole wolf-pack thing. And if he _knew_ how to hunt vampires, well, that would make Fili and the others' job that much easier.

Kili, though, was quite sure that it was possible that old Ironhill was still out there. He still hadn't wrapped his head around what it meant to be _immortal_ , but even assuming Dain was alive and forever young from shifting, why wouldn't he have come back to Erebor, at least to check to see if there were any new wolves that might need his guidance?

"I told him all that I could, and then I never saw him again," the vampire patriarch answered. "I never heard any rumors about a wolf hunting down vampires either, but if he were truly a success, there wouldn't be any rumors."

Fili pursed his lips together as he thought that over. "Will you tell me what you told him?"

Elrond shrugged. "There's not a lot to tell. You already know that vampires are strong and fast with extraordinary senses. Those that prey on humans also have red eyes after they've fed, much like we have gold eyes, and look almost corpse-like in the sunlight. The best way to kill them is to remove the head before burning them."

"You think it wise to tell this wolf how to kill us?" Thranduil asked sharply.

"He won't turn on us," Legolas said confidently.

"Can you read his mind?" Elrond wanted to know, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "The wolves have already proved immune to Tauriel and Elladan. I thought for sure they'd be immune from you as well."

"They are," he replied before smiling and nodding at Kili. "But I can read Kili's, and apparently Fili considers any friend of Kili's as a friend of his."

Kili scowled at that, not liking the fact that Legolas was airing Fili's private words to him for everyone to hear. "Keeping poking around in my head, and that won't include you," he said sulkily, annoyed when that drew a laugh from _everyone_ , even the stuffy Thranduil. Fili shot him an apologetic smile and squeezed his hand.

"So all the other myths about vampires, the garlic thing, the silver, the crosses, wooden stakes, none of that's real?" the werewolf clarified.

"Nope," Elrohir said cheerfully from his seat next to Elrond. "How about you? Allergic to silver?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Fili answered in a deadpan.

"So how does one kill a werewolf?" Thranduil asked. "Fair is fair, and all."

Kili glared at vampire and cut in before Fili could answer. "Nobody is killing anyone at this table so there's no need to talk about it anymore."

"It's okay, Kili," Fili murmured, squeezing his hand once more. "It's not like there's anything to tell when it comes to werewolves. We can die just like any other human. We're just a bit more… durable. But I want to know how vampires are made."

"Venom," Elrond said seriously. "It's… very difficult to make vampires, which is why there aren't a large number of us in the world. I suspect that those like us who are able to resist the call of blood are the ones who were lucky enough to not have much of our soul pulled from us by the vampire that turned us."

"Now I have a question," Elladan stated, reaching out to wrap a hand around Bain's. "The old wolves made us promise to never bite anyone in Dale as part of the treaty. I was hoping you would be able to make an exception."

Kili took in a sharp breath. He hadn't realized the two of them had already discussed Bain becoming a vampire.

Fili seemed surprised by the question as well. "I…"

"Not anytime soon," Elladan assured. "Bain has agreed to wait until at least graduation, maybe even go through a few years of college. But we wouldn't want to go against the pack in doing so. We'll leave Dale if we have to."

"You'd turn him into a vampire?" Fili asked, appalled at the idea.

"I don't think I'd be able to watch him die," Elladan replied. "Could you watch Kili die?"

Fili's hand tightened almost painfully around Kili's, but it quickly relaxed as Fili sent him an apologetic look. "I understand," he said simply. "The pack will not see it as a violation of the treaty."

"Well, that is very good to know," Elrond said, him and Thranduil standing. "Now, there is food in the kitchen, along with a very big cake that I'm sure will be going home with Kili tonight. We will leave you kids to your party."

Tauriel and Elrohir grinned big before darting into the kitchen and coming out with three plates laden heavily with food. They ushered everyone into the living room, where Tauriel pushed Fili and Kili onto a small loveseat together and placed a plate in each of their hands.

"Now, I know for a fact that Kili has not seen _Star Wars_ yet," she announced, turning on the television with a flourish, where Episode IV was already queued up. "So we're going to do a marathon. After the first one, we'll have cake and presents!"

Kili looked at her sternly. "I said no presents."

"It's just the one, I promise!" she cried. "And it's a very useful present! Really, it's more for our benefit than yours!"

Kili rolled his eyes and took a sullen bite of his food. He just hoped it wasn't a car.

The food, it turned out, was absolutely delicious, which was surprising since it was cooked by someone who probably found the thought of eating it disgusting. He ate the very large portion of pasta that Tauriel had put on his plate. Before he could get up to take his empty plate back to the kitchen, it was plucked from his hand by Elrohir, who shot him a grin and dashed to deposit into the kitchen.

Fili chuckled and wrapped his arms around Kili, pulling him against his body and tucking his chin over his shoulder. "I can't believe you've never seen these," he whispered.

"I know the basic storyline," Kili defended, but still sat enthralled as the movie played out on the screen. He never watched much television growing up, never knowing when his mother might be in a mood and strike out because she wanted to watch something else. He was awestruck, then, at the special effects on the screen.

"Cake time!" Tauriel crowed after the Death Star was destroyed and Luke, Han, and Chewie got their medals from the Rebels Alliance.

Elrond hadn't been kidding when he called the cake huge. It was a two-tiered monstrosity with "Happy Birthday, Kili!" written in elegant blue script on the bottom layer. Kili flushed bright red as they sang "Happy Birthday" to him, Fili even going so far as to pull him into a quick kiss after he blew out the candles.

He knew he was supposed to make a wish as he blew them out, but with Fili's arm wrapped around him, he honestly couldn't think of anything to wish for.

"Now for your present!" Elrohir cried, pressing a small wrapped package into his hand.

Kili shot Fili a long-suffering look, but the werewolf didn't look too sorry for him. Traitor. How dare he side with the vampires!

He tore off the wrapping paper and opened the small box. Nestled inside was sleek-looking smartphone. He turned the box over so that the phone fell in his hand.

"I can't take this!" he protested, knowing that the phone probably cost more than his entire food budget. Well, when he had had the money to _have_ a food budget.

"It really is more for us!" Tauriel explained hastily. "We were going crazy when we couldn't reach you on your house phone after I saw you get attacked and we thought you were dead! We can't go on pack land, but this way we can at least stay in touch!"

"I think it's a great idea," Fili agreed. Kili scowled at him. Yep. The werewolf had definitely gone over to the dark side.

"Plus, now we can text," Bain added with a grin.

As much as he wanted, though, Kili really couldn't argue with them all, vampire, werewolf, and human, ganging up on him.

"All our numbers are programmed in," Elladan told him. "Well, except for Fili's because we didn't know it. And don't worry about using it too much. It's on an unlimited plan, just like all of our phones."

"It really is too much," he tried one more time.

"Nothing is ever too much to buy us peace of mind," Legolas informed him.

Kili gave up after that, slipping the phone into his pocket after Fili had plucked it out of his hand and programmed his own number in. They all migrated back to the living room to finish their Star Wars marathon.

By the time _The Return of the Jedi_ was over, Kili was half-asleep and tucked against Fili's chest.

"You guys are welcome to stay the night," Elrohir told them.

Kili chuckled sleepily. "I don't think Fili would be able to sleep in a house full of vampires."

"Even if I could," Fili mumbled, carefully un-entangling himself from Kili and standing up to stretch. "I'm pretty sure Dwalin and Gimli would be breaking down the door if we don't make it back to the reservation tonight."

Kili allowed Fili to help him up and out to the car, feet dragging as sleep threatened to overcome him. Fili buckled him into the truck with a chuckle, leaning forward to brush a kiss over his lips, causing Kili to sigh in happiness.

He drifted in and out of sleep on the ride back to Erebor, starting awake as the truck came to a stop and was switched off.

He blinked his eyes opened and squinted in the darkness. "S'not my house," he muttered.

Fili chuckled. "No, I figured there's no point waking your mother if she's at home. You can just sleep at my place."

He hummed in answer as he let Fili's warm hands lead him inside and up to his apartment, the werewolf practically carrying him as his sleep-heavy limbs had trouble with the stairs. He kicked off his shoes before letting Fili tuck him into bed. As the blond went to back away, though, Kili tightened his grip on him and pulled him down onto the bed with him.

"Stay with me," he mumbled into Fili's chest as he snuggled against him.

"Always," came the answer as Kili closed his eyes.

"Love you."

"I love you, too, âzyungâl," was the last thing Kili heard before he gave into the oblivion of sleep.

Tbc…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Fili smiled as he woke up and was greeted by a mess of black hair. He pulled Kili closer to him, causing the younger man to sigh in his sleep and burrow deeper into his embrace, mumbling something that Fili couldn't quite understand.

If Fili had it his way, this was how he would wake up every day of his life.

He was all set to spend a lazy Sunday morning just holding Kili while he slept, but his phone ringing interrupted their serenity. He tried to reach it before it woke up Kili, but the brunet blinked up at him sleepily just as he hit answer.

"Hello?" he asked, giving Kili an apologetic look. Kili smiled at him and scooted over to lay his head down on the pillow instead of Fili's chest. Fili pouted internally at that.

"Fili, we've got a problem," Dwalin said urgently.

"What happened?" he barked, sitting up straight and frowning.

"Bofur and Nori both shifted last night."

"That's not possible!" Fili protested. "They weren't showing any signs!"

"That we know of," Dwalin pointed out. "But they've been living together away from their families for over a year. Just because we didn't know about their symptoms, doesn't mean they didn't have them."

Fili groaned. "Damn. They had no warning. They could be halfway to Canada by now." They could be in Canada if they'd be gone long enough. Hell, they could've made it all the way to Alaska, given how fast the wolves could run when motivated.

"They haven't left the reservation yet," Dwalin assured. "Gimli spotted them as he patrolling the woods last night. He's been keeping an eye on them since then, but they won't listen to him. He can't get through their panic, but they're just running around in circles right now."

Fili pinched the bridge of his nose. They had discovered shortly after Gimli had shifted that they could communicate telepathically while in wolf form. They had to focus to do it, though, and the other wolf had to be open to hearing. If Bofur and Nori were panicking, they probably weren't very receptive.

"You could probably get through to them," Dwalin pointed out.

He glanced at Kili before sighing. "I'll meet you in the woods behind the shop in five minutes," he said, hanging up and giving Kili another apologetic look. "I've got to go."

"Wolf emergency?" he asked with a regretful smile.

"Yeah, Bofur and Nori just shifted without warning. I'm hoping I can Alpha them out of their panic before they leave the state," he explained. "Stay here. It shouldn't take long. We'll go out for a late breakfast when I get back."

Kili sat up. "I'm gonna go home and take a shower and change. You can pick me up when you get back." Fili frowned, which just caused Kili to laugh and lean forward to place a peck of a kiss on his lips. "It's broad daylight and a five minute walk. I'll be fine."

"Okay," he said in resignation, standing up and smiling down at him. "I'll see you later then."

With a final kiss, he turned and made his way downstairs quickly and making for the woods. He shed his clothes quickly and shifted into a wolf, the transformation becoming easier every time he did it. He had only been shifted for a few moments before Dwalin's dark grey wolf came into sight.

 _They're near the beach on the north side of the reservation_ , Dwalin informed him. _Let's go._

 _No, you stay here and make sure Kili gets home okay_ , he told him. _Don't let him see you._

Dwalin huffed. _He's not going to appreciate you lying to him._

 _It's not lying_ , Fili snapped. It's keeping him safe without making him feel guilty.

He snorted. _And I guess he also doesn't know that you sleep in the woods outside his house in wolf form at night._

He glared at his cousin. _You do the same with Ori._

Fili knew that his constant defensive statements that he wasn't a creepy stalker were making it seem even more like he was, but it really wasn't what it sounded like. He wasn't close enough to Kili's house at night to see or hear anything that happened inside, even with his enhanced senses. He was only close enough so that he'd be able to smell a vampire approaching or hear a cry for help. And while it wasn't the best sleep in the world, it was more sleep he would get tossing and turning in his bed, wondering if Kili were safe.

 _Maybe_ , Dwalin conceded. _But Ori doesn't know anything about the wolves. Kili does._

 _Just go_ , he growled, taking off towards where he'd find the other wolves. They didn't have time to argue about keeping secrets.

Especially when Dwalin was probably right.

 _Gimli?_ he called out once he caught what seemed to be the fresh scent of the others.

 _Fili! Thank goodness! I can get them to calm down!_

He put on a burst of speed and was suddenly running beside Gimli's deep red wolf, with a russet wolf and a black one running ahead of them. If he were to make a guess, he'd say Nori was the russet one, with Bofur as the black one.

 ** _Stop!_** he ordered, putting as much authority in his voice as possible. The two wolves stopped in their tracks, turning and looking at him and Gimli as if just noticing the other wolves' presence.

 _Fili…?_ Bofur's voice sounded in his head in wonder while Nori's eyes narrowed suspiciously. _What the hell is happening?_

 _You and Nori have to calm down_ , Fili told them. _That's the only way you'll be able to change back._

 _How did we change in the first place?!_ Bofur asked in a panic, looking ready to bolt again. Nori stepped forward and slightly in front of the black wolf at that, trying to shield him from Fili and Gimli. He growled threateningly.

 _Nori, we're not going to hurt either of you_ , Fili said in what he hoped was a soothing tone. Inwardly, he cursed not being able to warn his two packmates about their impending change. They wouldn't be in this situation if he had.

 _I won't_ let _you hurt him_ , Nori replied menacingly.

 _Nori, use your senses_ , Gimli snapped impatiently. _Does Fili feel like a threat?_

Nori stood up from his defensive crouch in surprise after considering Fili long and hard. _No. He feels…_

 _Sturdy,_ Bofur finished for him, giving Fili a wolfy grin.

Fili huffed, not entirely sure what that description was supposed to mean, but it seemed to make sense to the other two. _Well, now that that's settled, let's get you changed back._

 _Then you can explain how we changed in the first place,_ Nori stated. _Now, how?_

 _Well, now that you've stopped the wolf from running in panic, all you have to do is bring your human side forward_ , Fili replied, aware that that was a terrible explanation. It wasn't something you could just explain though. It was more instinctual.

Nori gave him an unimpressed look but Bofur closed his eyes behind him in a look of deep concentration. Within a few moments, the wolf was gone and Bofur was standing there in all his naked glory.

He laughed in delight. "Come on, Nori! Change back! It's easy!"

The russet wolf had stepped in front of Bofur immediately, obviously trying to hide his naked body. Following his boyfriend's example, the other wolf soon shifted back to his human form.

Fili sighed in relief before he and Gimli shifted as well.

"Explain," Nori barked, still standing in front of Bofur protectively and ignoring his own nudeness.

"The old legends are real and we're werewolves that hunt vampires," Gimli said simply before Fili could answer. Considering that summed it up better than anything he would have said, Fili let it slide instead of reprimanding his irreverent attitude.

He really probably wasn't the best Alpha.

"Sorry we didn't warn you beforehand," he told them. "We didn't know you were displaying the signs."

"Signs?" Bofur asked curiously, peering over his boyfriend's shoulder. "What kinds of signs?"

"Fever, headaches, dizzy, kinda like the flu," Fili replied with a shrug.

"Guess we don't have to go to the doctor after all," he said, shooting Nori a smug look.

Nori rolled his eyes. "And will we always shift… naked?" he asked, raising his brow at Fili and Gimli's unclothed states.

"You get used to it," Fili said with another shrug. It was probably a bit odd that he already didn't notice it anymore, but it wasn't really something any of them could change. Bofur didn't look to fussed, but Nori looked unhappy.

Fili narrowed his eyes at Nori's protective stance and how Bofur had tucked himself close to the other man's back. "Did you two…?"

"What?" Nori asked suspiciously.

"Are you each other's Ones? Âzyungâls?"

Bofur blinked. "The wolf called Nori that as soon as he saw him."

"Mine too," Nori nodded. "What's it mean?"

Fili frowned. "It means we don't understand as much as we thought."

#

Kili was happy to note that his mother's car wasn't in the drive when he walked up to the house. He didn't want to guess at what horrible words she'd hurl at him for not coming home last night, no matter how hypocritical they may be.

He unlocked the door and went straight to his room, frowning at the mound of clean clothes on his bed that he didn't bother to fold yesterday morning. It was probably a good thing that he slept at Fili's, all things considered.

He smiled happily to himself as he remembered the feel of Fili's arms around him as he woke up, even if he was jarred completely awake a little more suddenly than he would have liked.

He grabbed a towel and a clean pair of boxers before heading to the bathroom. He flipped the light switch on and frowned when the light didn't come on. He flipped the switch a couple more times and then groaned. Light bulb was probably out. It had been a while since he had changed it.

He knew they didn't have any new light bulbs in the house so he just left the door open and let the faint sunlight drifting in from the window at the end of the hall shine through. He quickly brushed his teeth before stripping, reluctantly undoing the braids Fili had put in his hair. He hopped in the shower, hissing as the cold water hit him.

Thankfully, it warmed up rather quickly, though it never got as hot as it should have. He growled in frustration as he quickly shampooed his hair and soaped up quickly. The water heater must need resetting again. That was the third time this year! He was sure the thing wouldn't last much longer and had no idea what he was going to do once it quit working.

He quickly washed the shampoo and soap away and turned off the now cold water. He toweled off and slipped his boxers on, rubbing as much excess water out of his hair as possible as he walked back to his room. He rummaged around in the clothes on his bed before he came up with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and slipped them off. He frowned and considered the slight chill that was starting to settle into the early October air and grabbed a flannel shirt from his closet and threw it on as well.

Checking the time on his phone, he figured he had at least half an hour before Fili was done with his wolf business so he grabbed his copy of _To Kill A Mockingbird_ , the book they were reading for English Lit, and went into the living room to read on the couch.

He flopped down and twisted around to turn on the lamp on the table next to the couch. He frowned as it didn't come on.

That was too much of a coincidence.

With growing dread, he tried the television and it, too, would not turn on. Kili didn't try to turn anything else on. He knew there'd be no point. It was pretty obvious what had happened.

His mom hadn't paid the electricity bill.

He frowned in confusion. She had never not paid a bill before. She wasn't the most responsible person in the world, but she always remembered to pay the electricity bill, for her own comfort if nothing else.

He got up and ruffled through the stack of mail on the kitchen counter. Sure enough, there was a past due notice from the electric company. His heart sank as he looked at the amount. It wasn't a lot, but it was more than he had.

He let the bill fall back onto the pile of mail. Oh well, who really needed electricity? People survived without it for centuries. He could do the same, right?

He tried very hard to not think about how cold the nights were going to start getting. Or how much cold showers sucked. At least he'd still be able to shower, though. Water was provided for free on reservation.

He fell back on the couch with a groan. Why would his mother just not pay the bill? Had she just not been back at all to see it?

He hadn't seen her since Monday night, but that wasn't really unusual. There had been a stretch of about three weeks last March that she had disappeared. But she hadn't forgotten to pay any bills then…

He looked towards her room at the end of the hallway, suddenly feeling uneasy. She had said she was done the last time he saw her. Surely she hadn't…

Kili stood up slowly and crept towards her room. He hesitated, worrying his bottom lip as the irrational fear of getting caught gripped him. He wasn't allowed in her room. Had never been allowed in her room. Last time he was in there, he was probably about five and she had given him a spanking for waking her because he had had a bad dream.

He shook his head at his foolishness. His mother wasn't here, and even if by some miracle she came back while he was in her room, he'd hear her with more than enough time to get out.

Steeling his nerves, he opened her door and stepped in.

He glanced around, nothing really standing out to him as being amiss. Then again, it had been years since he had been in here. He peered into the half-open closet and frowned, stepping closer and throwing the door open.

It was empty. No clothes, no shoes, nothing.

Slightly panicked, Kili flew to the dresser and pulled open the first draw.

Empty.

A sick feeling settled in his gut. His mom wasn't just not here. She was _gone._

Done, just like she had said.

He stumbled out of her room in shock. What was he supposed to do now? He had no job, no money. How was he supposed to survive until graduation? How could she just _abandon_ him?

The rational part of his brain reminded him that he still had Fili, but he dismissed that right away. He couldn't unload his crap on Fili. He couldn't expect the werewolf to take care of him anymore than he already did.

He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. This wasn't the end of the world. So what if his mother left him? She was a shit mother anyway. He didn't need her.

And he didn't need electricity, he decided firmly, taking the late notice off the counter and throwing it in the trash. He'd be fine.

His phone ringing caused him to jump, not yet used to having it yet. He smiled as Fili's face flashed on the screen and he thumbed it to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, so I know I said I was going to take you out, but we have to have a pack meeting," Fili said apologetically.

His heart sank a bit, but he couldn't begrudge Fili this. "I understand. Let me know when you're done?"

"Oh no, I'm still coming to pick you up," he clarified. "I'm just throwing on some clothes right now and I'll be there soon. Just wanted to let you know we're all having breakfast here instead of going out."

"What about your meeting?" he asked in confusion.

"You're part of this too, Kili," Fili replied. "You deserve to know everything. I'll be there soon, okay?"

"Okay."

He couldn't help the smile that crept over his face as he hung , he'd be okay. It wouldn't be easy, but at the end of the day, he still had Fili. That was enough.

#

Kili grinned at him when he got into the truck, leaning over and giving him a chaste kiss. Fili was having none of that, though, and pulled the younger man closer, thrusting his tongue into his mouth and deepening the kiss. A flash of heat went through him at Kili's moan, and he quickly broke the kiss before he got carried away.

The brunet gave him a dazed smile. "I'm guessing you found the other wolves?" he asked absently as he buckled his seatbelt.

"It wasn't too hard," he said, backing the truck up and throwing it into drive. "They were too panicked to cover their tracks." Fili looked over Kili with a critical eye. Something seemed… off. "You okay?"

He started at the question before shooting him a reassuring smile. "Great. Are you sure it's okay if I know everything though?"

"Of course it is," he replied, trying to stop the guilt that rushed through him at the thought that Kili didn't know _everything_.

Dwalin and Gimli had already let themselves into his apartment by the time he got back. And considering the wonderful smell coming from his kitchen, Gimli had decided to take it upon himself to get breakfast in order. Gimli because Dwalin, bless him, couldn't boil water without burning it.

"Hi Kili!" his younger cousin called out cheerfully, scooping crispy strips of bacon out of a skillet and depositing them on a paper-toweled lined plate. He smiled his thanks at Gimli as Kili became less tense at the warm greeting. Gimli grinned before flipping a few pancakes off a griddle and onto an already towering stack. "Better get some food before Dwalin and Fili get started. Us wolves tend to eat a lot."

Fili directed Kili to get them both some milk or something and fixed both of them a plate, knowing if he left Kili to get his own food, he wouldn't get as much. Nori and Bofur entered just as he and Kili were settling on the couch, Gimli on the other side of Kili and Dwalin sprawled out on the floor.

"Help yourselves to the food," Fili called. Now that the weirdness of the wolf stuff had worn off, Nori and Bofur were just as comfortable around them all as they had always been. He and Bofur had been in the same grade in school, with Nori one grade ahead of them. They knew their way around Fili's apartment just as well as his cousins did.

"So why is us being Ones so worrisome?" Bofur asked as soon as they were settled on the floor with their food."It's not a bad thing, right? And it makes sense. We've only been dating forever!"

Fili sighed. "You're the third and fourth ones to imprint since we started shifting."

"Imprinting? Is that what we're calling it now?" Dwalin asked in distaste. "We're not baby birds figuring out who are mothers are!"

He rolled his eyes. "It fits better than any other word I can think of. The wolf is born for all intents and purposes and forms a connection as soon as he finds his soulmate."

"Except the legends say it's rare," Gimli pointed out with a frown. "It's not supposed to happen until it's okay for the wolf to retire, right?"

"Maybe it's because the Peredhels are the only vampires around," Fili suggested, poking at his pancakes. "Maybe there's no danger from them."

"Then why are we even shifting to begin with?" Dwalin asked with a shake of his head.

"I thought you had decided to hunt down the vampires that were killing people?" Kili asked, looking up at Fili.

"We are," he assured, knowing Kili was adamant about him protecting as many people as possible. "But I can't help feeling that the magic is trying to tell us something."

"Well there's no point in Bofur and I ever stopping shifting, is there?" Nori asked shrewdly. "Not unless we really wanted to. We have each other and eternity."

Fili stared at him open-mouthed at that. He hadn't considered that. Since both Nori and Bofur were both wolves, they could potentially stay wolves forever without aging. "Would you want to live forever, though?" he had to ask, unable to imagine it himself.

Nori shrugged. "It'd be sad to see our families age and eventually die, but we'd have each other."

Bofur smiled at him. "That doesn't sound so bad."

Fili could understand that. If he could spend eternity at Kili's side, he could pretty much face anything those long years brought him.

"Does this mean that Ori is going to shift?" Dwalin asked hopefully.

Nori shot him a narrowed-eyed look. "Please tell me you didn't fucking imprint on my baby brother," he hissed dangerously.

"It's not like I could help it!" he cried desperately.

Fili decided that this trajectory of the conversation needed to be cut off, especially with the slight tremble in Nori's hands. "That's enough," he said, giving them both a look. "You two being Ones might be understandable, and if Ori shifts, then that might be understandable, but what about Gimli and me? If the magic is giving us our soulmates because we're going to spend eternity with them, why hasn't Gimli found his?"

He didn't ask why Kili. For one, he didn't really _care_ why Kili. For another, he figured that the magic understood what he himself knew all along. He was not meant to be a leader.

"Maybe Gimli's not looking hard enough?" Bofur commented with a wink.

"Who else do we know that are liable to shift?" Dwalin shook his head. "The only one in what seems to be the correct age range is Ori, if we assume only the direct bloodlines will shift and only the men."

"We must be missing something," Fili muttered.

"Or maybe I don't have a soulmate?" Gimli suggested. They all looked at him in horror, which he just waved off with a grin. "Oh, don't give me those looks. There are worse things than not having a boyfriend."

Fili frowned at that. "That's another thing. How strange is it that we're all gay?"

"Technically, you and I are bi," Dwalin remarked. "But I see your point. It seems like a weird coincidence."

"Not really," Kili said thoughtfully. "Maybe you guys are like vampires." The others looked at him scandalized and outraged that he would suggest such a thing, but Fili shot them a warning glance and they kept quiet.

"How do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, Tauriel told me that female vampires can't have children because their bodies don't change, and that, even with their mates, they feel as if something is missing because they can't have children," Kili explained. "Maybe if there were female wolves, they wouldn't be able to have kids until they stopped shifting either, and would feel like something's missing too. So to avoid that, the magic avoids making female wolves. And if the magic wants wolf couples to live forever, then you all have to be attracted to other men."

"So the magic made us gay?" Nori said sarcastically. "That should comfort my mother."

Fili rolled his eyes. "It didn't make us gay, anymore than it made us love who we love. But we were born who we were, when we were, for a reason. It makes sense."

Nori scowled. "Still not happy about that one," he pointed at Dwalin accusingly, "lusting after my baby brother."

"It's not just lust!"

"So you admit it's _partially_ lust!"

The conversation devolved from there. Finally, Fili kicked them all out of his apartment, saying if they wanted to fight, they could fight somewhere else.

"Are you disappointed you were saddled with me instead of someone who can spend forever with you?" Kili asked in a small voice as soon as they were gone.

Fili sighed and wrapped his arms around the younger man, pulling him down onto the couch. "Of course not. I'd rather have you than anyone else in the world."

Kili was quiet for a moment. "Maybe…" he said softly in a hesitant voice. "Maybe I _could_ live forever."

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you will stop right there," Fili said with a scowl. "You're not becoming a leech, not ever, and especially not for me. You're not going to be a slave to blood-lust for the rest of eternity."

"You'd rather me die?"

"That's not fair, Kili," he said in a pained voice. Just the thought of anything ever happening to Kili cut him to the quick. "What's so bad about living a human life together?"

"You could have so much more, though," Kili pointed out sadly. He pulled away and looked at him seriously.

"Kee, there is no _more_ in my life without you." He sighed and pushed back his hair. "Can I braid your hair?"

Kili frowned at the sudden change of topic but nodded anyway. Fili grabbed a comb and a couple of ties before settling back on the couch. He gathered a small bit of Kili's hair just behind his left ear and began to braid.

"This braid means beloved," he told him as he tied it off. "It's used when the wearer is the object of affection of a Khuzdul."

"Fili…" Kili breathed, but he wasn't done yet.

"And this one," he said, starting a similar sized braid behind the other ear, "is worn by the one who holds the heart of the Chief of the tribe. Or his heir, as the case might be."

Kili looked at him with watery brown eyes. He smiled at him and continued, grabbing a slightly larger section of hair that started at the middle of Kili's forehead and braided it down his hairline to the scalp. When the braid reached the smaller braid behind his ear, he stopped braiding to the scalp and let the braid fall down with the other.

"And this one is normally worn only by the âzyungâl of a wolf, though others have worn it before," he said solemnly. "It means its wearer is the one true soulmate of the person who put it there. It means our lives are bound as tightly as these strands. It means there is no me without you."

He just managed to tie off the braid before his arms were full of Kili.

"I love you," he whispered the words into Fili's next, causing the werewolf to smile.

"Do you see, then? I don't need anything that you can't give me," Fili murmured into Kili's hair, dropping a kiss onto his last braid. "You don't have to change anything about yourself for me to love you, and you _definitely_ don't have to become a vampire."

Kili gave him a watery smile. "I just want you to be as happy as you make me," he said ruefully.

"Pretty sure you do," he replied confidently before capturing his lips in a kiss. "You make me impossibly happy," he whispered against his lips as he broke the kiss.

And though the thought of Kili dying someday in the far away future was like a dagger to the chest, he would definitely not change him for _anything._

Not even for immorality.

tbc…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Much to Dwalin's pleasure and Nori's dismay, Ori shifted a week later. Thankfully, Nori had been keeping an eye on his brother and recognized the signs in enough time to warn him. All thoughts of postponing a relationship with the younger wolf flew from Dwalin's mind, of course, when Ori imprinted on him as well.

Kili really didn't know what Nori was so worried about. Considering how smug Ori was every time he saw him tucked against Dwalin's side and how Dwalin was pretty much at the other's beck and call, it was obvious who was calling the shots in that relationship.

"It's actually a little annoying how considerate he is," Ori confided in him one day a few weeks later when he and Gimli were at the shop. The younger teens had taken to coming over to hang out and do homework with Kili while Fili was working. Sometimes they stayed downstairs but other days, like today, when Fili was particularly busy, they went up to the apartment. This was mostly because Fili couldn't help but be distracted by Kili's presence at the best of times.

"Yeah, cause I always hate when my boyfriend cares about me too much," Gimli said sarcastically.

The other werewolf rolled his eyes. "I know he cares, but he doesn't have to treat me like I'm glass!" Ori cried in exasperation. "I'm not going to break! I've got the whole super-strong werewolf thing going on too! I mean, he won't even touch my—"

"NOPE!" Gimli shouted, plugging his ears with his fingers. "Don't want to hear about my cousin's sex life. Not another word."

Ori glared at him while Kili just chuckled.

"You've only been together for a few weeks," Kili pointed out. "Maybe he just wants to wait a while."

"What for?" he asked with a roll of his eyes. "We're practically married now, why? It's not like I'm some innocent virgin or anything. And I know he's sexually attracted to me."

Kili felt a blush light up his face at the candid way Ori talked about sex, thanking the complexion of his skin that hid the red flush from his wolf friends. He saw Ori's point, but he honestly didn't think he could ever approach sex that casually. Probably because he was, as Ori put it, "some innocent virgin." Not only had he never had an opportunity.

Thankfully, Fili had never pushed for anything beyond kisses and above the belt caresses, but he was sure the older and more experienced man was probably wanting more.

"What's it like, exactly?" Gimli asked. "Like, did you instantly fall in love with him or something as soon as you saw him or what?"

"Kinda…" Ori replied thoughtfully. "But it didn't feel like it was forced, you know? It was like the world just coming into focus. Like the connection was always there, but I couldn't really grasp it before. I mean, you know I've always had a major crush on Dwalin. I like to think we would have gotten together eventually anyway. Well, after I got him to get over the whole age thing," he added with a roll of his eyes.

Kili frowned, wondering if it was normal he felt a similar connection towards Fili. He was sure it was probably more powerful than Ori, but he still felt what Ori was describing. Maybe humans who bonded or whatever to supernatural creatures always felt the pull too. He'd have to ask Bain. It might explain why he seemed to fall in love with Fili faster than probably normal too.

"Ugh, it's supposed to drop below freezing tonight," Gimli groaned as he looked at the weather report on his laptop. "That means I need to head out. My mom is going to want me to chop some firewood for the night."

Kili couldn't help wishing that his house had a fireplace. The nights had been getting gradually colder as they moved into November. He had gathered every blanket in the house to sleep under, which admittedly wasn't very many, and he still got cold. He didn't want to think what would happen once winter truly set in.

"So you had a boyfriend before Dwalin?" he asked Ori after Gimli had left.

"No exactly," he replied with a sheepish shrug. "Gimli and I have been friends forever and we're both gay so last summer we kinda… decided to experiment with each other?" Kili's eyes widened. "It was a lot of fun, but neither of us really ever thought of each other as anything but friends."

"You must trust each other a lot," Kili commented, unable to even imagine being comfortable enough with a friend to do that. He wasn't even sure if he was comfortable enough with Fili yet, though he certainly trusted the blond more than he had ever trusted anyone in his life.

That probably wasn't saying much though.

"Yeah, but I do almost wish I had waited," Ori admitted regretfully. "I feel like I've cheated on Dwalin or something, which I know is ridiculous but…"

"Does Dwalin know?" he asked curiously.

"God, no!" he exclaimed in horror. "How am I supposed to tell him I slept with his cousin, our pack brother?! I think it's best just to keep that as quiet as possible."

Kili frowned. "I don't think that's a very good idea, Ori. Keeping secrets in relationships is never a good thing, even for supernaturally-matched soulmates," he said, knowing he was being a huge hypocrite. But his secret was different from Ori's. It wasn't about his sexual history. It was about his current living situation, which was far less noteworthy.

Ori sighed. "You're probably right, but it's kinda a hard subject to broach."

He shrugged. "But it's a conversation that needs to be had. I mean, you'd want to know if Dwalin had slept with Nori or something, right?"

"I see your point," he said, scrunching his nose up in disgust.

Kili laughed at his face, beating down his own guilt.

There was a difference between being honest about your past and not wanting to burden someone with your problems.

#

Fili waved absently at Gimli as he left the shop, bending back over the hood of an old Dodge truck. He was pretty sure the transmission had a crack in it, but he wanted to check the rest of the parts just in case. In a vehicle this old, there were often multiple problems just waiting to happen.

"Fili," the deep baritone of his uncle surprised him, almost causing him to hit his head on the hood of the truck.

He straightened and gave him a neutral smile. "Thorin," he greeted with a nod. He hated that his relationship with his uncle had deteriorated to the point where he couldn't help but be suspicious at his unannounced visit, but he still wasn't sure if he could trust anyone on the Council when it came to pack business, not even Thorin.

"Your mother tells me you're friends with Kili Oakley," he commented.

Fili narrowed his eyes. Of all the things Thorin could have been here about, he had not expected Kili to come up. "She also tell you she has written me off as a monster when it was all of you who abandoned Kili to slowly starve to death."

Thorin at least had the decency to look guilty at that. "I didn't know how bad things were for him," he explained with a heavy sigh. "I tried to check up on the boy over the years, but his mother slammed the door in my face so many times that I eventually gave up. I really did try to do right by him, Fili."

"By ostracizing him and sending him to school in Dale?" he asked, unimpressed.

"That was his mother's idea!" he protested. "She came to me when he was four and asked me to help her arrange to send him to school in Dale! Said she didn't want her boy to end up like his no good father!"

Fili frowned in confusion. "Then why does everyone, including Kili, seem to think it was your idea?"

Thorin sighed again. "I thought it'd be better for Kili if people didn't know his mother hated the Khuzdul. I thought he'd be more accepted then. Not that it mattered," he added with a bitter twist of his mouth. "Tiffany kept him hidden from us as much as possible."

"And that didn't make you suspicious at all?" Fili questioned, unable to completely let Thorin off the hook, even as he started to wonder if he should be trying to get Kili away from his mother.

"Of course it made me suspicious," Thorin replied with a roll of his eyes. "But he was her son. I even talked to Bard about starting an investigation, but he said without anything concrete, he couldn't do anything either," he continued sadly.

"Then what does Mom have against him?" he couldn't help asking.

"While your mother has always held a certain… animosity… toward's Kili's mother, she's never held a grudge against Kili himself. Until she found out he was friends with the Peredhels," he added wryly. "She's made no secret that she considers them the cause of you becoming a wolf."

"She called me a monster," he said softly. Even though that was weeks ago, it still hurt.

"She'll come around," Thorin assured. "She's just afraid that she's losing you."

"So she pushes me away," Fili snorted. "Great logic there." "Dis is as stubborn as a mule, but you know she loves you," he said. "She'll apologize eventually."

Fili scowled. "She might have to do some groveling for my forgiveness."

Thorin chuckled. "I'll pass on the message."

"So why did you come here to talk about Kili?" Fili asked, a little less suspiciously now that he knew Thorin hadn't abandoned Kili for years.

"Well, your mother has been trying to force herself on him and his mother to feed them for about a month, ever since someone hinted that he might not be getting the food he should be," Thorin said with a knowing smile before turning serious. "Problem is, no one is ever home. His mother's a grown woman and I'm not worried about her, but I wanted to make sure Kili was okay. Bard says Bain has been spending most of his time at the Peredhels. Has Kili?"

"Kili spends most of his time here," Fili answered with a small smile, feeling a wave of affection for his mother. Knowing she had been trying to help Kili all this time made it much easier to forgive any insult she may have given him. "Kili's mother doesn't spend much of her time at home from what he tells me."

And from what he'd seen from sleeping in the woods near Kili's house. He hadn't seen his mother's car there since that first week he and Kili had gotten together. If Kili were worried about her absence, though, he didn't let on.

Thorin's eyebrows went up in surprise. "I didn't realize you were that close that he'd be over here all the time. Where is he now?"

"Upstairs with Ori," he replied. Knowing he couldn't keep Kili from his family forever, he went on, "And yeah, we're close. He's my âzyungâl."

Thorin looked thoroughly shocked. "When?"

He gave his uncle a sheepish look. "Since I got back. He was the one I saved in the woods from the vampire," he admitted.

"And you didn't trust us enough to tell us," he remarked sadly.

Fili shrugged and leaned against the truck behind him with his hands in his pockets. "Well, from that first conversation, it felt like you and the Council didn't care so much about people who weren't Khuzdul."

Thorin stared at him in horror. "Fili, even if that were, which it's _not,"_ he said firmly, "Kili is Khuzdul. Of course we'd care about him!"

"What?!" he cried in shock. "Kili is convinced that he's not Khuzdul! You've let him believe that all along!"

"We didn't let him believe anything!" Thorin protested. "I had no idea the boy didn't believe he was Khuzdul!"

"You let most of the tribe believe it!" Fili pointed out heatedly. "Everybody thinks that's why he was sent to school in Dale!"

Thorin looked horrified. "I didn't think of that. I just assumed… his mother hates the Khuzdul so much because his father left. I just assumed she would let him know who he was…"

"And you're sure he's Khuzdul?" he asked, needing the confirmation.

"Tiffany wouldn't be so bitter if he wasn't. And his father's name was Dain," Thorin explained. "That's such a common Khuzdul name. Hell, there were five Dains that went to high school with me."

Dain. A crazy idea was forming in Fili's head. "She didn't have a last name?"

"I know what you're thinking, Fili, but the odds are extremely low," he said. "We would have heard from Ironhill if he was still running out there somewhere. And like I said, it's a very common name."

That was probably true, but still…

"This means that Kili might shift as well," he murmured, unsure how he felt about the idea. On one hand, he'd be thrilled that Kili had the ability to protect himself. On the other, the thought of Kili actually fighting vampires scared the hell out of him.

"It's a possibility," Thorin replied with a sigh. "Especially with him being your One and spending so much time with vampires. But if it hasn't happened yet, he might not."

Fili sighed. "I need to tell Kili all this."

Thorin nodded. "I'll leave you to it then. Balin's probably waiting for me by now. He was stopping in to talk to Bombur. Can you tell Kili I'm sorry? I'll apologize in person," he was quick to add, "but I think it might be more likely to be accepted if he hears it from you first."

"I will," he said, lost in thought as he watched his uncle leave.

If he felt like his world had just been turned upside-down, how would Kili feel?

#

Kili felt numb.

Fili's pained blue eyes were watching him closely, but he didn't know how to reassure him that he was okay.

Because he was pretty sure he wasn't okay. He felt… cheated. Like the life he had thought he'd known had been a lie.

How much did his mother have to hate him to intentionally keep him so isolated and cause him so much pain? All he had ever wanted was one scrap of love from her. What had he done so wrong that he couldn't even get that?

"Thorin's sorry, for what little that's worth," Fili told him softly. "He thought you knew."

"I knew my mother didn't love me," Kili whispered, blinking back tears. "On some level, I even knew she hated me. I just didn't realize she hated me so much that she actively kept me from anyone who might care."

"Well she didn't succeed in the end," the werewolf stated, wrapping his arms around Kili and pulling him close. "You have so many people who care about you, Kili. Me more than anyone."

Kili had to smile at that. Though it didn't erase the pain of his mother's hate, it definitely eased it a bit. He relaxed in Fili's arms. "Does Thorin really think I might shift too? Wait, there's no way we're related, right?" he asked in a sudden flash of panic, head snapping up to gaze at Fili imploringly.

"No, there hasn't been a Dain in my family in two hundred years, so I think we're safe," Fili assured. Kili lay his head back down in relief. "And you might, but nothing's definite," he continued. "I'll love you either way."

"Thank you," he murmured thickly into Fili's chest. He looked pleadingly up at the blond. "Can I stay here tonight?"

He didn't know if he could face the prospect of going back to the cold house he once shared with his mother.

"Of course you can," Fili said, brushing a kiss over his lips. "You can always stay here."

Kili gave him a watery smile and rested his head against Fili's chest again, tucking his feet up on the couch and curling into the werewolf. "Thank you for taking such good care of me all the time. I know it must get tiring," he said ruefully.

"Never," he replied vehemently. "I could never get tired of taking care of you. And you never have to thank me for loving you."

tbc…


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Spending the next night in his frigid house after sleeping warm and sound in Fili's arms the night before was difficult. He had wrapped his sheets and blankets around him until he was sure he looked more like a burrito than a person, but it hadn't helped.

It had taken all his effort not to come clean with Fili the next morning as he drove him to school. However, now that it had been a few weeks, he was sure the wolf would be upset that he hadn't told him. Things were so good between them. He didn't want to wreck everything.

Bain pulled him aside as soon as he got to school, tugging him in a direction that was far away from where the Peredhels were waiting for them. Because none of the vampires tried to follow them, he assumed Bain was broadcasting to Legolas and Elladan that he wanted to speak with Kili alone.

"What's up?" he asked with a furrowed brow as soon as Bain stopped and turned to him.

"Can I rant at you without you trying to rationalize everything and make me feel better and _fix_ everything?" Bain asked in exasperation.

Kili laughed, knowing exactly what he was talking about. It was the problem with being friends with supernatural beings who had lived over a hundred years. They always had an answer for everything. It was infuriating enough for Kili at times. He couldn't imagine _dating_ one of them.

"Sure," he replied. "Rant away."

"My dad is being completely unreasonable!" Bain fumed, crossing his arms petulantly and leaning back against the wall. "It's not like me deciding to have Elladan change me should come as a _surprise_ or anything. What did he think was going to happen? He's known from the beginning what Elladan was. Thorin made damn sure of that. I've made completely clear that Elladan was it for me, but now he's like, 'You're too young, you haven't lived,'" he mocked in a deep, unpleasant voice. "'You shouldn't change yourself for a boy.' I'm not!"

Kili thought that wasn't technically true, as Bain was _literally_ going to change himself for Elladan, but he had said he wouldn't try to rationalize or try to fix things. Besides, he was sure Elladan would do that later, and much better than he could.

However, this was as good as time as any to ask him what he had been wondering.

"Did you feel your connection with Elladan as soon as met?" he wondered. "I mean, more than is normal. Did you fall for him quicker than you should have?"

Bain frowned at the question. "Not really," he shrugged. "I mean, I love him _now_ and I _know_ he's it for me, but I didn't have the whole electric thing that the vampires have when they meet their mates. Maybe I fell for him _kinda_ fast, but I think that's because by then I already knew that it was safe to, you know?

Because I was his mate and he'd always love me."

That was different than Kili, then, he decided. He was drawn to Fili before he even shifted, and had slowly fell for him even knowing it was hopeless, falling all the way before he even realized the wolves had Ones, let alone that he was Fili's.

"So you can't feel the connection now?" he asked.

"I feel a connection, but it's not like the one Elladan feels, I don't think," he said sadly. "I'm hoping it becomes that when I'm changed, though. I love him. I want to give him as much as he gives me."

Kili could definitely understand that sentiment. Fili gave him so much. It was hard to see what Kili gave _him._

The warning bell rang and the two of them made their way to homeroom, where Tauriel and Elrohir were already waiting for them. After they had took their seats, Tauriel turned to Kili with a sweet smile on her face.

"Kili," she said pleasantly but with a sharp look in her eyes. "Why did I have a vision of you catching pneumonia and ending up in the hospital after collapsing in P.E.?"

He started at that. "I can't control if I get sick," he mumbled, not meeting her eyes.

"People do not just 'get' pneumonia that serious when they are young and healthy and well-cared for," she replied shrewdly. "There's something you aren't telling us."

"Or maybe that's what _would_ have happened if Fili weren't around," he pointed out, hoping he was right. Things weren't so bad that he was going to end up in the hospital. He was _fine._

All of his friends watched him closely for the rest of the day, Bain included. He tried not to be too annoyed with them. They were only doing it because they cared. When Elladan paired with him instead of Bain when playing badminton in gym, though, with Elrohir and Tauriel facing off against them and making sure that every birdie soared towards the other Peredhel twin, things got too ridiculous for him.

It was _badminton,_ for heaven's sake! It was hardly strenuous!

He stalked outside towards where Fili was waiting for him without saying goodbye to any of his friends, still annoyed. He wasn't made of glass. Just because he wasn't a vampire or werewolf didn't mean he was that fragile.

Maybe, since he was Khuzdul, he _would_ shift. Maybe that would get everyone to stop treating him like he would break.

His mind stuttered over the thought of being Khuzdul. He hadn't really allowed himself to think too much about his mom and how she had spitefully isolated him all his life, not since the other night when Fili had told him at least.

It hurt too much to dwell on. She was out of his life now. It didn't matter anyway.

Fili grinned at him when he opened the door and leaned over for a quick kiss.

"So I think we should look at colleges after I get off work today," the werewolf declared as he pulled away from the school.

"Colleges?" Kili asked in confusion. He couldn't leave Fili to go to college!

"Yeah, you know, those places you go so you can learn stuff and get a good job," Fili elaborated with a teasing smile.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you, Professor Lupin, but I can't go to college!"

"Sure you can," the werewolf replied easily. "There are plenty of scholarships and grants out there, especially for Native Americans, and if nothing else, there's student loans."

"But… what about you?" he said, worrying his bottom lip.

"That is why we need to look at colleges together," Fili answered cheerfully, shooting Kili a wink. "We've gotta make sure to apply to the same places, or at least near each other."

"What?"

"I've been planning to go back for my masters eventually," he said with a shrug. "I really didn't mean to stay in Erebor as long as I did."

"But what about the pack?" Kili asked. "You can't just leave!"

"Then we'll try to stay in state. University of Washington has a good mechanical engineering department for me and isn't too far from Erebor, especially considering how fast we can run as wolves," Fili remarked. "But even if we go somewhere else, that's okay too. The pack can function long-distance for a few years. And they'll have to learn to manage without me eventually."

Kili didn't answer that. That's another reason he hoped he did shift. He didn't like the fact that Fili would die for him. He didn't care if it was natural for someone to grow old and die. He didn't want Fili to do it just for him. Not when Fili had the chance to stay young and healthy and alive forever.

Of course, as soon as they started looking at the applications once Fili was done in the shop and they had eaten diner, though, Kili was beginning to think the whole thing was a stupid idea.

"Why does it cost so much just to _apply?"_ he asked in horror as he stared at Fili's laptop screen where the application instructions for UW were pulled up.

"Don't worry about that," Fili said as he leaned over Kili's shoulder to look at the screen. "I've got it."

"I can't let you just pay for me," he protested, feeling awful.

"I _want_ to."

"You pay for everything, Fili!" Kili cried. "You feed me, you drive me to and from school, I'm here all the time, aren't you tired of me always just taking from you? What are you getting out of any of this?"

"I'm getting you," the blond answered calmly, moving the laptop from Kili's lap to the coffee table and taking his hands. "Seeing you happy and healthy is more than enough payback for me. I told you I'd never get tired of taking care of you and I meant that."

"It just doesn't seem fair to you," he muttered, guilt welling within him.

"I get you in my life. That seems like a fair trade to me," Fili remarked, snaking his arm around Kili's waist and kissing his temple. "And even if it weren't, life has been unfair to you for long enough. Nothing I could give you could balance that out. Even if I were as rich as your vampire friends."

"That's where your wrong," Kili said with a shake of his head, turning his head to bring their lips together in a real kiss. "Being loved by you is worth more than anything and definitely balances things out."

"Agree to disagree," he murmured before moving in for a deeper kisser. Kili couldn't help his moan as their tongues tangled together, bringing his hands up to tangle in Fili's blond hair.

Fili pulled away reluctantly before grabbing the laptop. "Now, if we're going to get you applied to college, we've got to get you registered to take your SATs."

Kili groaned as Fili pulled up the website, but he didn't complain. He knew that it would do no good.

It was late by the time they were finished. They didn't submit any of the applications in the end, because Kili hadn't even started to think of what to write of the essays, but they had compiled a list of the schools they'd both be applying to.

And while they were making that list, Kili was formulating a plan to pay Fili back. So when Fili closed the laptop and set it on the table, he immediately swung his leg over the blond to straddle his lap.

"Kili—"

He swallowed whatever Fili was about to say with a kiss, thrusting his tongue into his mouth and grinding down on Fili's lap. He felt a thrill of satisfaction as Fili groaned into the kiss and brought his hands up to Kili's waist.

Fili gasped as he broke the kiss, but Kili didn't give him a chance to say anything before diving back in, rocking his hips forward a bit, moaning as his half-hard cock rubbed against Fili's stomach, his jeans only slightly dulling the sensation.

He froze, though, as he felt Fili's arousal pressing into his ass.

He knew the mechanics of sex between two guys. He didn't think he was ready to be in such a… vulnerable position. And his mind balked completely at _Fili_ being in that position.

But he had started this. And he was supposed to be giving Fili something for a change. He couldn't back out now.

But Fili was already looking at him in concern, shifting him so that he was next to him on the couch instead of straddling him and pulling him close.

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed. "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for."

"I _want_ to be ready, though," Kili replied, pulling Fili's head down to meld their mouths together, but the werewolf kept the kiss from becoming heated like before. "I want to give this to you."

"This shouldn't be about me," Fili said firmly, pulling back from the kiss but keeping both hands on either side of Kili's face. "It should be about us. And whatever we do, we should probably talk about it first. I know this is all new for you," he added more gently. "So we're going to take this slow."

Kili pouted. "Not too slow." He might not be ready for full-blown anal sex for a while, but that didn't mean he didn't want _anything_ in the meantime.

Fili chuckled at that and gave his lips a light peck. "Not too slow," he agreed, his eyes darkening slightly before he blinked and got to his feet, pulling Kili with him. "It's getting late. I should get you home."

Kili gave him a tight smile and nodded. He desperately wanted to ask Fili if he could stay the night, but he knew it was a bad idea. He had already been enough of a fucking tease. Fili didn't need him wrapping himself around him in bed to add to that.

#

Fili was curled up in the woods in a half doze. Kili's house was dark and he was sure the brunet had gone straight to sleep as soon as he had gotten home. It was a cold night. Despite his thick fur, he could still feel the biting chill in the air. He hoped Kili had his heat blasting and was warm.

He was instantly alert as the wind shifted and a familiar and unwanted scent hit his nose.

He growled. _Vampire._

He gave a long howl to warn the rest of his packs before he shot off, following the scent and snarling. It was close to Kili's house.

Too close.

The trail turned abruptly and headed west. It was fresh, though. The leech must have recognized his howl for what it was and ran.

Which meant it knew about the pack.

The thought would worry him later, but right now the wolf was focused on hunting.

He could hear answering howls in nearby, and soon another wolf caught up to him. Fili spared a glance and saw that it was Gimli's red wolf at his flank. Gimli didn't ask what was going on, just ran at his side, following the trail with as much determination as Fili.

Fili growled with frustration as they reached the edge of a cliff that dropped off steeply to the ocean below.

 _Did it jump?_ Gimli asked, peering down at the churning waters below.

 _It had to have_ , Fili replied, snarling in frustration. If the thing was confident enough to jump, it must be a strong swimmer. _It might double back. Let's go!_

 _Double back where?_ his cousin asked as he ran after Fili. _What was it after?_

His heart beat with fear, spurring his legs to run faster. It was too much of a coincidence, and there was only one house in that area of the reservation.

 _Kili._

#

Kili hadn't yet fallen asleep when he heard the howl from nearby. When howls seemed to fill the air, he shot up, rushing to his window to stare worriedly into the night.

It seemed like ages passed with the trees revealing nothing, but suddenly, with no warning, his yard was filled with wolves.

He shoved his feet into his shoes before running out just in time to see the golden wolf he knew was Fili growling at the other wolves, who soon formed a perimeter around his house. He had barely taken two steps outside his door before the Alpha was in front of him, nosing him as if looking for injuries.

"I'm fine," he said, still not entirely sure what was going on. "What happened?"

He could see the relief in the wolf's blue eyes as he surged forward to rub his head against Kili's. His arms came up automatically to wrap around the wolf's neck, somehow knowing that Fili needed the reassurance.

The wolf pulled back and huffed, nudging Kili lightly before disappearing into the woods. To Kili's confusion, he didn't come back. He waited for a few minutes, shivering in the night air and peering into the trees, before a large gray wolf suddenly approached him, nudging him back to the house.

He resisted, shoving back as the gray wolf kept trying to push him back inside. In the back of mind, he was vaguely aware of how crazy it was to be shoving a werewolf, but he didn't care.

He was sure Fili would be back. He wasn't going back inside until he came back.

Besides, it's not like it was much warmer inside anyway.

The wolf huffed in what sounded like frustration before stepping closer to Kili. A smaller brown wolf appeared at his other side, bracketing him between the two. Kili smiled as he realized they were trying to keep him warm.

"Thank you," he murmured.

The larger wolf just gave a huff, but the brown wolf rolled his eyes to look at Kili and gave him a reassuring nudge with his head.

Kili was so focused on the woods, though, that the sound of Fili's truck pulling into his drive caught him by surprise.

The blond was out of the truck in a flash and wrapping his arms tightly around Kili. "You can't stay here," he said urgently, pulling back and tugging him towards the house. "That thing is after you."

"What?" he asked dumbly, following him without question.

"A vampire was near your house tonight," Fili answered. "I managed to stop it, though, before it got too close."

Kili gulped as he thought about another vampire trying to attack him. "Thank God you were able to get here so fast," he said faintly, feeling sick as he remembered the black eyes of the vampire that had gotten so close before.

Fili gave him a guilty look. "I… may have been sleeping nearby in the woods," he admitted sheepishly, making to pull Kili into his room, but Kili stopped in the hallway and tugged his hand free.

"What?" he asked angrily. He shouldn't be surprised, he knew. Fili had made no secret that he was pretty much obsessed with keeping Kili safe, but this was a bit much. "You've been spying on me?"

"No!" Fili protested with wide eyes. "I swear! I've never been close enough to see or hear anything going on hear, I promise. I just watch the woods in case a vampire came!"

"But you had no reason to believe that one _would_ come," Kili argued, not even sure why he was so mad. Hell, if Fili hadn't been there, he could be _dead_ right now. Still, he hadn't _told_ him. "You told me that I knew everything."

"I'm sorry for betraying your trust," Fili said. "I didn't want you to be worried about something that might not even happen! But I'm not sorry for being there tonight. And you can't stay here. It's not safe."

Kili brushed past Fili and into his room, pulling out a duffle bag and throwing clothes in. He glared at Fili when he moved to help him.

The blond sighed but retreated to the doorway, reaching over to flip on the light switch and frowning when nothing happened. He narrowed his eyes, and Kili knew he had realized how cold it was in the house.

"Kili…"

"I didn't want to worry you," he said, knowing he was echoing Fili's words. He let the blond pull him into an embrace. "Guess I can't really be mad at you, huh?"

"You can be as mad at me as you want to be," Fili murmured, dropping a kiss to the top of his head. "But you're not staying here, not to freeze to death or to be attacked by a vampire."

Guilt welled within him, but he didn't say anything. He knew if he mentioned anything about being a burden, Fili would shut him down immediately.

"Why would a vampire being so intent on getting to me?" he asked instead.

"I don't know," Fili replied, tightening his hold on him. "But he's not going to get you. I swear."

Kili shivered as a different kind of fear overtook him. What if Fili got hurt trying to keep him safe? What if he… _died?_

tbc…


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Fili sighed heavily as they entered his apartment. "We should probably talk."

Kili wasn't sure what there was to talk about. They had both kept secrets from each other, and now they were out in the open. He wasn't angry.

Well, that wasn't really true, but he had no _right_ to be angry. They had both trusted each other and they had both betrayed that trust.

What else was there to do but to just try and forget about it?

Still, it was Fili's apartment, and if he wanted to talk, Kili would listen. So he quietly followed the werewolf to the couch and sat down tentatively, hating the sudden tension between the two but not knowing what to do about it.

"You're still mad at me," Fili began, his mouth set in a stern line.

"I'm not," he lied weakly, looking at his hands. "We both lied to each other so they cancel out, right?"

"I don't think it works like that," the blond replied with another sigh, leaning forward and letting his head sag. "I know I'm still angry at you for your lie even if I lied to you too. Kili, you could have _died!"_

"I know," he snapped. "I _know!_ If you hadn't been there when the vampire came… But that's the point!" he cried, unable to hold back. "You aren't sorry for being there because you think you were right to be there! Because your being there saved me! But you still should have told me! We could've worked something out that didn't involve you sleeping in the fucking woods!"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Fili said in an infuriatingly measured voice. "I'm talking about you living with no power. Kili, what do you think would have happened as the nights got colder? You would have frozen to death!"

Kili scoffed. "I would've ended up in the hospital after collapsing with pneumonia in gym class before I froze to death," he retorted before blanching. That was probably way too specific.

Fili apparently thought so too. "Your vampire friends knew about this?!" he snarled, seeming to shake with fury.

Kili's eyes widened and he scooted away from Fili on the couch, all too aware that the wolf was reacting to the blond's anger.

His movements, though, seemed to sap all the rage from Fili and he deflated. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said in a pained voice.

"I know that," he said with a roll of his eyes. Hell, the whole argument was about Kili's well-being, for crying out loud. To think Fili would hurt him himself was ridiculous. "But you're bigger when you shift, so I was giving you room."

Fili huffed a laugh before going quiet for a moment. "You're right," he admitted finally, giving him a tentative smile. "I should have told you I was afraid for you at nights. I shouldn't have just staked out the woods outside your house without telling you. I didn't want you to worry, but I also didn't want you to just brush off my fears."

"I wouldn't have done that," Kili said in a kinder tone. Fili shot him a look, so he added insistently, "Not if you were really so worried. You just… do so much for me. I feel like I'm just a burden to you sometimes."

"You're not!" the blond protested immediately.

"I know you don't think of me as a burden," he replied with a sigh. "You've made that pretty clear. But I still feel that way. That's why I didn't tell you about my mom leaving and not being able to pay for electricity. It was just… one more thing to burden you with, you know?" he said, shrugging and blinking back tears.

"Kili, I… I don't know how to make you feel like less of a burden," Fili said slowly, shaking his head. "All I can say is that you're not. Hell, you're in high school! I'm not giving you anything any average high schooler _wouldn't_ be given. Rides to school, food, safety? Things you need! I'd be a pretty shit boyfriend, no, a pretty shit _person,_ if I didn't give you those things!"

Kili flushed. When it was put that way, it made sense. It was just… "Nobody else ever did," he mumbled.

He felt strong arms wrap around him and pull him into a warm chest. He let himself be held by Fili, soaking in the safety he felt in the werewolf's arms. He was probably stupid for automatically putting Fili in the same camp as everybody else. Fili was obviously different.

"I know nobody has really done right by you before," Fili said, carding his fingers through Kili's hair. He couldn't help but lean into the werewolf's touch. "And you have absolutely no idea how much I resent the people of Erebor _and_ Dale for that, but you have people in your life now who love you and only want to see you happy and healthy. Me most of all."

"Most of all? Who else do I have?" he asked, a little bewildered at the thought of there being multiple people who cared for him now.

"You have the entire pack," Fili said, looking down at him with smiling eyes. "Even if you weren't so precious to me, all the wolves adore you, you know? I honestly think Dwalin might fret over you spending so much time with vampires more than I do. And you know you have Bain and your vampire friends. Though if they knew about your mother…"

"They didn't," he said quickly. "Tauriel had a vision about me catching pneumonia and collapsing, is all. I told her she probably only had it because she couldn't see you. Turns out, I was right," he added with a wry smile.

"Yes, you were," Fili said firmly. "I'm not letting you get sick if I can help it. Now, it's been a rough night. Let's get you to bed. I'll take the couch."

Kili frowned at that. "I'm pretty sure the bed's big enough for both of us," he pointed out.

The werewolf raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were mad at me?"

"Not so much anymore," he said with a shrug before looking at Fili uncertainly. "You're not still mad at me?"

He shook his head with a gentle smile. "No. Let's go to bed."

Relief filled him and he nodded. Kili slid under the covers and turned to face the wall as Fili turned off the lights before sliding in next to him. He smiled as an arm snaked around him and Fili curled around his back.

"Is this okay?" the blond asked.

"Perfect," he murmured, drifting off to sleep easier than he ever had before.

#

Fili smiled down at the sleeping brunet in his arms. He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve to have Kili in his life, but he sure as hell wasn't going to take it for granted. His smile disappeared at that thought. There had been far too many people in Kili's life that had taken his well-being for granted.

He resolutely shoved back his anger at Kili's mother for abandoning him like she had. She had left his âzyungâl to suffer for weeks in silence! What kind of mother did that?

How could no one have noticed how much Kili was suffering? Not just recently, but throughout his life? Surely _someone_ in Erebor or Dale had noticed? Did no one _care?_

Guilt welled within him as he realized he hadn't noticed at first either. He hadn't seen how thin the younger man, how wary he was of the world, how resigned he was to his fate. Was he just blinded by his own feelings? By how beautiful Kili was to him or by how his eyes sparkled mischievously when they teased each other?

How was it that the only people to notice Kili's plight were a bunch of vampires, who all the legends said were the bad guys, the monsters that the entire world needed protection from.

Humans seemed just as monstrous to Fili. There didn't seem to be the clear divide between their races as Fili had been taught to believe. Humans, vampires, werewolves. All of them had a capacity to be monsters.

It was a valuable lesson, but FIli wished it hadn't come at Kili's expense.

The dark-haired man stirred his arms and moaned, curling closer to Fili as he cracked his eyes open and instantly squeezed them close.

The blond bit back a smile. "You awake?" he asked softly.

"No," Kili grumbled, burying his face in Fili's arm. He peeked up at him with one eye. "What time is it?"

Fili craned his head to look at the clock on the nightstand. "Almost 11:30."

"What!" he cried, shooting straight up and staring at the clock in horror. "I'm supposed to be at school!"

"You can miss one day," the werewolf said, sitting up as well and snaking an arm around his waist. "I… don't know if I could bear not having you where I can see you today," he confessed, the wolf balking at the very idea. "Not after last night."

Kili sighed and leaned into him. "You can't keep me with you all the time," he pointed out. "I love you, but we'd both get sick of each other."

Fili didn't actually know if that were true, which was a little terrifying. His feelings for Kili were… frighteningly strong. To the point where he wasn't sure if he could survive the pain of losing him. He hoped the connection between them wasn't as strong for the younger man. He didn't like the thought of Kili not being able to go on without him.

"We do need to talk to the pack. And your vampires," he added with a thoughtful look. Surely if there were any new vampires in the area, the Peredhels would be aware. Right? "Do you think they'd be willing to come here or do we need to go into their territory to meet them?"

To be honest, he wasn't keen on letting Kili leave the shop at all. It might be a little ridiculous, but he wanted to keep Kili in his domain. It was an illusion of control that helped him believe that he could keep his âzyungâl safe.

Kili looked surprised by the question. "You want to invite them _here?"_

He shrugged. "It's no more unsafe than us going there. And it might be good for the entire pack to get an idea of what they smell like so that we don't confuse them with intruders."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind," Kili replied. "Most of them are at school now, though, so it'll have to wait until after."

"That's alright," he said. "I should probably speak to the rest of the pack first anyway. Make sure they don't freak out or anything. Why don't you go take a shower while I give Dwalin a call? I'm sure it's been a while since you had a hot shower."

Kili nodded, grabbing some clothes from his duffle before disappearing into the bathroom. Fili looked anxiously at the closed door, not even liking them being in separate rooms, before shaking his head at his foolishness. No vampire was going to attack Kili in the bathroom.

He dialed Dwalin's number and the older werewolf answered before the second ring.

"Everything okay?" his gruff voice asked.

"Bofur and Nori haven't sounded any alarm," Fili answered. Gimli and Dwalin had volunteered to spend the night patrolling the woods, but they had been relieved at dawn by Bofur and Nori. "I need to speak with everyone. Can you round everyone up and be here at three?"

"Everyone? Shouldn't someone be in the woods?"

"The bloodsucker is after Kili. It won't attack with Kili surrounded by werewolves," he remarked, hoping he was hiding his worry well.

"You think this thing knows about the wolves enough to be afraid of them?" Dwalin asked incredulously.

"Yeah, and that's the worrying part. Just get everyone here, okay?"

"Fine."

Fili was just hanging up when Kili stepped out of the bathroom. The extra sleep and shower had done the brunet good, his complexion looking a bit healthier than it had the day before. Now, to get some food in him.

"Lunch?"

It was more a combination of breakfast and lunch, as there wasn't a lot of food left in the apartment. Fili had planned on doing some grocery shopping after dropping off Kili at school. As it was, it was a mishmash of food that they had for their meal, with some leftover spaghetti, sliced pineapple, and scrambled eggs.

Kili laughed at the assortment. "These really don't go very well together, you know?" he teased.

"Yeah, I'd eat one thing at a time if I were you," Fili agreed with a sheepish smile.

They ate in mostly silence after that. For his part, Fili's mind was trying to figure out exactly how the vampire last night had known about the wolves and why it was after Kili. Was it the same one that had attacked Kili before? Maybe he hadn't liked Fili interrupting his meal and was coming back to finish the job.

The explanation didn't sit right with him. Why risk coming back after having your head bitten again just to kill one human? Was he just pissed at Fili for attacking him? But then why go after Kili?

Unless he had been watching them and realized how close he was to Fili? But _how?_ There had been no trace of vampire in the woods surrounding Erebor, not since Fili had saved Kili. They had running regular patrols! Even if the vampire was especially good at hiding, he wouldn't have been able to hide his stench.

So who was this vampire and what were they after?

It was a question he was still pondering when the rest of the pack showed up. They gathered in the shop, just in case a vampire did show up and they had to shift. Fili didn't think his apartment floor would hold the weight of them if they all shifted there.

"Are you certain it knows about the pack?" Ori asked after he had explained exactly what had happened last night and all the theories he had already discarded.

"Yeah," Fili said, snaking an arm around Kili and attempting to pull him closer to him on the sofa. He wasn't actually sure closer was _possible,_ considering the brunet was already squeezed against him with Ori and Dwalin on his other side, but Kili pressed closer to him anyway, as if sensing that Fili needed the reassurance. "It wouldn't have run if he thought I was a normal wolf."

"It's possible that… well, you said the Peredhels had said that Dain had went off to hunt vampires, right?" Gimli asked, leaning back against an old Dodge Charger. "Maybe this vampire knew about the wolves because he had seen one before? Maybe he didn't want to come face to face with another one?"

"How would he know the difference between Fili's howl and an ordinary wolf's, though? They don't sound different," Nori pointed out. "So he would have had to know about _our_ wolves."

"So this vampire knowingly risked being discovered by the entire wolfpack just to get me?" Kili asked, a note of panicked fear in his voice. _"Why?_ What did I do to get his attention?"

Fili still couldn't shake the feeling that the only thing Kili had done was get involved with him. Why else would a vampire target a seemingly ordinary human if not to cause pain to the werewolf he meant so much to?

"It doesn't matter _why,"_ he stated firmly. "What matters is keeping you safe from now on. Now, Kili has asked the Peredhels to meet us here—"

"What?!" came the outraged shouts from most of the pack.

"You asked those bloodsuckers to come _here?!"_ Dwalin roared in a betrayed tone.

"Are you crazy?!" Nori hissed.

"They may have some insights into this attack. Besides, I've been into their territory and nothing bad happened." he replied calmly, leveling them all with a stare that dared them to challenge him. None of them looked particularly happy, but none of them said anything further either.

When the vampires showed up, though, led by Elrond and Thranduil in a shiny black Mercedes, they all huddled along the sofa, Dwalin standing and hiding Ori from view while Nori tried to push Bofur behind him. For their part, Bofur and Ori just looked a bit exasperated and not a little curious about the vampires who had pulled up in two very expensive cars.

Gimli bristled on the other side of Fili, looking ready to shift at even the hint of trouble.

So it surprised Fili, then, when Gimli starting cursing up a blue streak as soon as the vampires, and Bain, all filed in.

The Alpha looked from his cousin to the newcomers, seeing that most of them seemed confused at Gimli's antics. All except Legolas, that is, who was looking none too happy himself. Elladan's eyes shifted between the younger blond vampire and Gimli, eyes widening slightly in surprise. His twin, noticing his brother's glances, burst out laughing as he realized what was going on.

"Legolas, is that werewolf your mate?!" he cried gleefully.

Fili started and snapped his head towards his cousin, who was scowling.

"He's my One," he ground out, all but glaring at his newfound âzyungâl as the rest of the pack gasped.

"Would you two like to talk?" Fili asked, looking between the two.

"No!" they both snapped in unison.

He knew that both of them would eventually need to talk things out, as he really didn't think either of them would be able to help loving the other, but that was their business. He wouldn't interfere unless he had to.

"What was it you wanted to speak with us about?" Elrond asked, laying a hand on his mate's shoulder to get him to stop his faint growling at Gimli.

"An unknown vampire tried to attack Kili last night," Fili said. "We were hoping you had any insights about that. Especially since this one seemed to know about us."

"Are you accusing us of telling someone about you?" Thranduil said coolly.

"Well, we weren't before, but now it seems like a pretty good question," Nori stated suspiciously.

"We're not accusing anyone of anything," Fili was quick to say, cutting off whatever argument that might have resulted from that. "We're just asking for any help you might be willing to give us in figuring this out."

"Why should we help you?" Thranduil asked, stopping glaring at Gimli for a moment to glare at Fili. "We don't normally get involved with the affairs of mortals, especially if they've run afoul of other immortals."

Fili barely resisted rolling his eyes at the vampire's stuffy language. The other vampires looked torn, and Fili got the feeling that none of them would help them if one of them dissented. And it seemed like Thranduil was the dissenting type. He went to argue further, but Bofur beat him to it.

"You never minded getting involved with Kili before," he pointed out. "I thought he was your friend."

"He is!" Tauriel cried, pushing forward and shooting Thranduil an unhappy look, her loyalty to Kili apparently outweighing her loyalty to her foster father. "Don't mind him," she added with a smile. "He doesn't trust easily."

"Tauriel!" the blond protested.

"No, Thranduil, we saved Kili for a reason!" she argued. "I got that vision for a reason!"

Fili's heart stuttered at that.

"What do you mean you _saved_ me?" Kili asked. "What did you do? What did you _see?"_

Tauriel gave him a sheepish look. "That first day of school, I had a vision of you before we left the house," she admitted. "I saw you faint on your bike and hit your head. Then I saw… your funeral. It was awful! And I knew I got the vision so I could stop it! So we… befriended you."

Fili grabbed one of Kili's hand as he tightened his arm around his waist. "I wouldn't have let that happen," he growled.

"I can't see you," she shrugged.

"No, I wasn't a wolf then. I shifted for the first time later that morning," he argued. "But that _wouldn't_ have happened."

He couldn't believe he would have been blind enough to let Kili faint from hunger and die. He _couldn't._ How could he possibly deserve Kili now if he would have been so blind _then?_

"You were in the process of changing. Perhaps your defense mechanism against us had already kicked in," Elrond suggested.

Fili seized onto that idea like a lifeline.

"I didn't see you at the funeral I saw," Tauriel assured him. "I would have remembered your distinct looks. I'm sure you would have been there if I could see you then."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Kili said softly, nudging him lightly with his elbow. He gave the werewolf a small smile. "You're taking care of me now."

"So why is a vampire after Kili?" Elrohir asked suddenly, changing the subject.

"We don't know," Dwalin answered with a shake of his head. "But he was headed towards Kili's house last night and ran when he heard Fili's howl. Seems like too much of a coincidence for him to be after anything but Kili."

"But—"

Whatever Elrohir was going to say was cut off when the shop door opened without ceremony and Bard walked in wearing his police chief uniform. His eyes widened as he took in the number of people in the shop, eyes lingering on Bain for a moment before landing on Kili.

"Sorry to interrupt your… meeting," Chief Bowman said uncertainly, obviously able to figure out that something supernatural was going on. The twist of his mouth as he glanced at Bain again told Fili that wasn't too happy with his son being there surrounded by a bunch of monsters. "But I need to speak with Kili." "

What about?" Kili asked, standing. Fili stood with him, keeping his arm wrapped tightly around the younger man.

Bard gave him a sympathetic look. "Kili, son, the Laketown PD found your mother in an abandoned warehouse last night. She'd been… well, she was murdered."

Fili was so stunned that he almost didn't catch Kili as his âzyungâl's knees buckled. He lowered them both down to the sofa. Kili looked up at the police chief. "How?" he asked faintly.

"The details aren't really that important," Bard said, not meeting Kili's eyes, which probably meant that the details were so gruesome he didn't want to tell him.

"Tell me," Kili begged, clutching Fili's hand desperately.

"The coroner said it looked like she'd been tortured," he told him reluctantly. "But she died of blood loss. The coroner said she had been… exsanguinated."

Exsanguinated. It took Fili a moment to realize that it meant she had been drained of her blood.

It was too much of a coincidence for him to come to any conclusion but one.

Kili's mother had been tortured and killed by a vampire.

But why?

tbc…


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

The drive to Laketown in the back of Bard's police cruiser went by far too quickly for Kili. He was sure the only reason he hadn't hyperventilated yet was because Fili had yet to let go of him. The werewolf's arms were the only thing keeping him grounded.

Not that he deserved Fili's comfort. Not after he had caused his mother's death.

Because it had to have been him, right? For some reason, a vampire was determined to get to him, and since he was too well protected, it had gone after his mother.

He was broken out of his guilt as they pulled into the parking lot of the coroner's office. Kili couldn't help but think that the building didn't live up to its purpose. It was just a plain, square brick building.

It certainly didn't look like it would hold the tortured corpse of his mother.

Kili whimpered as Fili pulled away from him as he slid out of the car, holding his hand out to help the brunet out afterwards. He blinked at the hand before staring back at the building. He didn't want to go in.

"Kili?" Fili prompted, blue eyes full of concern.

He sighed before taking his hand and climbing out of the cruiser. A tiny amount of tension left him when Fili immediately wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. However, with each step they took towards the entrance, it became harder and harder to breathe.

"It's alright," Fili murmured as Bard held the door open for them as they walked in. "All you have to do is give one quick look to confirm that it's really her and then we can leave, okay? I'll be with you the whole time."

He nodded, trying to curl deeper into Fili's arms. It made walking a little awkward, but the werewolf didn't complain.

"You two can wait out here," Chief Bowman told them as they came to a door next to a large plexiglas window. "I'll get the coroner to wheel her so you can see her through the window."

Kili took a shuddering breath as Bard disappeared, Fili's arms the only thing keeping him upright. "I can't do this," he whispered, tears gathering in his eyes.

"You can," the blond soothed, dropping a kiss to the top of his head. "I wish you didn't have to, but they need to confirm the ID."

Kili didn't understand why. They had found her driver's license with her. It had her picture on it. The police probably had plenty experience in comparing photo IDs with faces. Kili certainly didn't hold any hope that his mother was still alive.

He had buried his face in Fili's chest, so he didn't see when the coroner wheeled the stretcher to the window, but he heard the door open as Bard rejoined them. He sighed, knowing he had to look whether he liked it or not.

Steeling himself, he pulled his face away from Fili to glance through the window and catching a glimpse of the body before squeezing his eyes shut and nodding.

She looked thinner, and her skin had a deathly pallor to it, but it was definitely his mother.

"It's her," he managed to choke out, feeling the first hot tears slip out from beneath his eyelids. He let Fili pull him close once more, the werewolf all but carrying him outside to Bard's cruiser.

All he could really do at first on the way back to Erebor was cling to Fili and cry. He felt pathetic, but Fili didn't seem to mind. The werewolf rubbed soothing circles on his back and ignored the fact that his shirt was being soaked with tears and snot.

They were almost home when Kili ran out of tears, eyes feeling oddly wet and dry at the same time. He felt drained, sagging against Fili in exhaustion.

When they got back to the shop, Fili didn't even give him a chance to stand on his own feet, opting instead to scoop him into his arms and carrying him up to the apartment.

"It's my fault," he murmured numbly as Fili lay him gently on the bed and took his shoes off.

"What! No!" the blond protested immediately, tilting Kili's chin up to make him look at him. "What happened to your mother was _not_ your fault!"

"How else do you explain it then?" he argued, sitting up and glaring at his boyfriend. He was trying to protect him, but Kili didn't need protection from the truth. "We realize that a vampire is out to kill me and then my mother ends up dead by a vampire? They have to be related!"

"That doesn't mean that it's your fault, though," Fili replied gently, reaching out to put a calming hand on his shoulder. "All we know is that a vampire went after both you and your mother. We don't know why. Maybe your mother is the reason it went after _you."_

"But it _could_ have gone after her because it couldn't get me," he pointed out with a sniffle.

"And that wouldn't have been your fault either," he stated firmly. "You've done nothing to merit anyone or any _thing_ trying to harm you. If anyone's to blame other than that bloodsucker, it's me. Or maybe the Peredhels. We're the ones who dragged you into this whole supernatural mess."

Kili shook his head. "And you're both the reason I'm still alive."

Everything had happened so fast that he hadn't had time to process the fact that the Peredhels had only become friends with him to keep him from dying. He wasn't sure how felt about that. While he was certainly happy to be alive, the fact that all of the relationships in his life were based on him being saved from death in one way or another, didn't sit well with him.

Maybe his mother was right. Maybe it would have been better if he had never been born. Then no one would have to worry about saving his sorry life.

Fili sat down on the bed next to him and snuck an arm around his waist. "I will be forever grateful to those vampires for trying to keep you safe," he said, kissing Kili's temple. "Even if I wouldn't have let things get that bad, the fact that they tried means more than anything to me."

"Careful, you'll ruin your big bad wolf image saying nice things about vampires like that," he teased weakly, pushing the dark thoughts from his mind. They didn't do him any good anyway. He couldn't change the fact that he had been born.

"I'll risk it," he murmured, pulling back to look Kili in the eye. "Now other than needlessly guilty, how are you feeling about your mother's death?"

"I don't know," Kili answered softly with a shrug. "I mean, I didn't lose anything, did I? She… never was really a mother to me," he added sadly. "She didn't deserve to suffer and die like that, but it shouldn't affect me anymore than if it happened to a stranger. So why does it?"

Fili sighed. "She was still your mother. You're allowed to be upset."

"I think I'm too worried and scared to be upset," he confessed, looking down at his hands. He couldn't stop thinking about his own body laying on a cold autopsy table, drained dry after being tortured.

"You don't have to be!" Fili assured him, dunking his head to catch Kili's eye. "I won't let anything happen to you!"

"You can't be with my all the time," he said morosely. "And who's to say the vampire after me won't just…?" He couldn't finish the question, tears welling in his eyes at the very thought of the vampire killing anyone trying to protect him, _especially_ if it were Fili.

"Sure we can," the werewolf replied confidently. "At school, you'll be surrounded by the Peredhels, and none of them will let anything happen to you. And we can have two wolves guarding you at all times!"

Kili frowned at that. "That's asking a lot of the pack."

"Protecting people from vampires is what we were _born_ to do," Fili pointed out with a smile. "And you know we all love you."

"I just…" he trailed off, not wanting to say he didn't want to be a burden. He knew Fili would just say that he wasn't.

It didn't look like Fili was fooled, though. "Don't you understand that we'd do anything… _I'd_ do anything… to keep you safe?" he asked in a pained voice. "Losing you… I wouldn't survive it, Kili."

His breath caught in his throat. "You don't mean that," he said breathlessly. "You _can't._ You'd be sad, but you'd go on without me."

"No, I wouldn't," the werewolf insisted. "You're my One. My âzyungâl. My heart only beats for you. My life is tied to yours."

Kili swallowed thickly. "But I'm going to die someday," he whispered in horror.

"Only when you're old and have lived a full life," Fili told him seriously. "And I will by your side every day of it. We'll die together or not at all."

Kili knew Fili couldn't promise that, but it was a nice thought all the same. He gave the werewolf a soft smile before lying back down and tugging Fili after him.

"I know what you're doing," he commented as he used the blond's chest as a pillow. "You're trying to guilt me into accepting help."

"Is it working?"

"A little bit," he admitted with a sigh.

Fili sighed as well. "I don't mean to… emotionally blackmail you or anything. I just wanted to be honest. I can't lose you, Kili. So please, let us protect you." I

t was stupid, but he hadn't really thought about how it would affect Fili if something were to happen to him. Oh, he wasn't stupid enough to think that the werewolf wouldn't be sad or anything, but he had never thought that his death would destroy him so thoroughly.

He couldn't help but feel guilty about the cavalier attitude he had taken with his own health in the name of not burdening anyone. He should have given Fili's feelings more consideration. It wouldn't have been hard. All he had to do was realize how he would feel if something happened to _Fili._

He wasn't a supernatural being with the ability to curl up and die in grief, but he was certain it would break him beyond repair.

"Okay," he muttered. He wouldn't wish that pain of Fili for anything in the world.

"Thank you," Fili breathed in relief.

#

Fili had expected the vampire after Kili to be patient. They were dealing with a creature with unlimited time on his hands. Other than blood, there was nothing else a vampire needed. Fili didn't even think they slept, if the old legends were to be believed.

So when the bloodsucker didn't come back after a few weeks, he didn't let his guard down.

When those weeks turned to months, and December eventually came, Kili, though, had become convinced that he wasn't in any danger.

"Maybe he was never after me?" he suggested one evening, leaning against the kitchen counter and absently tracing the pattern on the countertop. "Maybe he was always after my mom?"

Fili saw the lingering pain in his eyes at the mention of his mother. He knew that Kili had taken her death harder than he let on. Harder than he acknowledged even to himself. Fili wouldn't push him to talk about it, though.

"Or maybe he was after both of you and hasn't figured out how to get past six werewolves on his own," he pointed out, opening the fridge to peer inside for something to cook. That was the general consensus both in the pack and among the Peredhels.

"I know that's the theory, but what if we're wrong?" Kili asked. "What if you're all worrying for nothing?"

Fili stopped rummaging around in the fridge and turned to wrap his arms around the younger man. "I'd rather worry over nothing than not worry when it's warranted," he murmured, kissing Kili's temple. He frown. "You're burning up, Kee!"

The brunet gave him a sheepish look. "I think I'm getting a cold," he admitted with a shrug. "It's nothing to worry about."

"What are your symptoms?" he asked immediately. "Have you been sneezing or coughing?"

Kili rolled his eyes. "You'd have heard me if I had," he replied. "I've just had a headache and felt a little lightheaded so far. It's nothing to worry about."

"It could just be a cold," Fili conceded, "but it could also be the first signs of shifting."

He still wasn't sure how he felt about the possibility of his âzyungâl shifting. Kili would be able to protect himself, true, but that involved Kili getting close enough to a vampire to fight him.

"Why would I be shifting _now?"_ Kili asked in confusion. "Everyone else shifted _ages_ ago!"

"Everybody else was in good health at the time," he pointed out, pulling back a bit to gaze with satisfaction at Kili's body, which had filled out a bit in the months he had been living with Fili.

"If you're going to openly stare at my body like that, you could at least touch it more," the brunet said petulantly.

Fili sighed and leaned his forehead against Kili's. He knew Kili was frustrated with how slow their physical relationship had moved. It was _difficult,_ to say the least, to share a bed with the gorgeous brunet without allowing things to go too far.

Things had gotten pretty heated between them at times, but Fili couldn't stop thinking about the sensitive hearing of whatever two of his packmates guarding the shop or about what would happen if the bloodsucker decided to attack while he and Kili were in a compromising position.

"Do you really think I might be shifting?" Kili asked hopefully.

"It's possible," he answered. "It could still be a cold though. We'll just have to wait and see."

Kili opened his mouth to answer but he was interrupted by a loud knock on the hatch, which was promptly thrown open and Fili's mother walked in, tupperware containers piled high and balanced precariously on one of her arms for a moment before she grabbed them with the other hand.

"Mom!" he cried in protest, glaring at her as she strode into the kitchen without waiting for an invitation. Kili cringed in his arms and stepped closer, looking at Dis with apprehension in his eyes. Fili's glare only intensified at that.

He hadn't spoken to Dis or Thorin since Kili's mother had been found murdered. Not that they hadn't tried to speak with him. But he had been dunking their calls. Before now, they had both had the decency to not stop by when Kili was around. Well, it was probably less decency and more cowardice, but they hadn't been around to stress Kili out further. And since he spent all the time Kili was gone in the woods surrounding Kili's school in wolf form, it meant that

Fili hadn't seen either of them.

Now, it seemed, his mother had grown impatient. Fili wasn't surprised, really, but that didn't mean he was happy about it.

"Fili, I know you're upset with me," she said brusquely as she placed the tupperware on the countertop and began unstacking it. "And you have every right to be. But avoiding me isn't going to make me go away. I'm your mother, and I love you. That means I'm going to be annoyingly persistent."

He scowled at her. "Funny, I didn't get the loving vibe when you called me a monster."

Kili gasped at that, looking at the diminutive blonde woman in shock.

Dis looked shamed. "I didn't mean it," she said weakly.

"You certainly sounded like you did," Fili retorted. He wasn't sure he was ready to forgive her yet. She hadn't even _tried_ to accept what he was. Like always, Dis had made up her mind on her own and had decided everyone else had to be wrong. He hadn't realized how much that disposition hurt others until it had been directed at him.

She threw her hands up in exasperation before putting them on her hips. "What do you want me to say, Fili? I was wrong. I'm apologizing. What more do you want from me?"

"You called your son a _monster!"_ Kili cut in angrily before Fili could answer. "Fili is the best person I've ever met, and you tried to tell him he was a monster! You think saying you're sorry is enough?"

Fili couldn't help the warmth that filled his chest at Kili's defense of him. And the look on his mother's face was priceless. He was pretty sure that no one, not even Thorin, had ever spoken to her like that before in all of her adult life.

Her stunned look faded as she narrowed her eyes, opening her mouth to no doubt say something to Kili that Fili would not like, so he growled in warning. She started at the noise before looking properly chastised.

"You're right," she admitted with a sigh. "It's not enough. But I would like a chance to make it up to you, Fili. To _both_ of you."

Fili pursed his lips and glanced at Kili, who shrugged at him. "Now's not a good time, Mom," he said finally. Her face fell. "We'll give you a chance, but there's a lot going on right now."

She nodded glumly. "I understand." She moved towards the entry hatch and gave them one last look. "Let me know if I can do anything to help."

After she was gone, Fili breathed a sigh of relief and sagged against Kili.

"She's at least willing to try," the brunet commented, wrapping his arms tightly around Fili and squeezing reassuringly. "And look! No need to cook dinner."

Fili snorted as he glanced at the food his mother had left. "There's that at least. Let's eat."

#

Kili was glad that winter break was coming up. School had become unbearable to him. Despite his speculative words to Fili, he was still afraid that the vampire that killed his mother was after him as well. He only really felt safe when he was with Fili. Sure, he knew that none of the Peredhels would let anything happen to him if he were attacked, but it wasn't the same.

He miserably poked at his lunch as Tauriel and Elrohir bickered over one thing or another. It was weird how a pair that looked so young could be such an old married couple. Literally, too, as Kili was well aware that the pair were over a hundred years old at least.

"Elrohir is much older," Legolas told him. Kili shot him a glare. He didn't like it when the vampire read his mind. "Sorry," the blond said with a roll of his eyes. "It's not like I can help it."

"So how old is everybody?" Kili couldn't help but ask curiously. It was something he had wondered ever since learning they were all vampires, but had always felt it was a bit rude to ask. However, he had ceased caring about manners after finding out that the only reason they were his friends was because they hadn't wanted him to die. Which he _did_ appreciate, but it would have been nice if they had wanted to be friends with him because of who he was.

Legolas shot him a look but answered anyway. "Well Elrond is the oldest, obviously," he informed him. "But he, the twins, and Arwen were all turned at the same time, in the early 1700s."

"Arwen?" Kili hadn't heard that name before.

"That's our sister," Elrohir said, jumping in with a smile. "She lives with her mate and our grandparents in Alaska."

"They're not _really_ our grandparents," Elladan explained at Kili's continued confusion. "Galadriel and Celeborn took us in after a coven of feral vampires attacked our family. They saved us. If they hadn't come, we would have either died or would have lost too much to keep our humanity."

"Aragorn, Arwen's mate, is the newest vampire in our family," Legolas said. "They've been in Alaska a few decades now to help him adjust."

"I didn't realize your family was that big," he said with a frown.

Elladan shrugged. "Most covens are large. Ours is probably the smallest because there aren't a lot of vampires like us. But we stick closer together than most covens do. Other vampire covens usually spread their members out more. Vampires aren't big on sharing, so they usually hunt alone or with their mates."

Icy fear ran through his blood as a thought struck him. "So the vampire that's after me, he could have a coven too?"

He felt Elladan reach out with his power and ease his fear. Normally it would annoy him, but right now he just appreciated it.

"It's probable," Tauriel said with a frown. "But I would _see_ him coming back with reinforcements."

"Would you, though?" Bain asked, speaking up for the first time. "They would be planning to attack the wolfpack. You can't see them."

"They would be after Kili, though," she argued. "Even if they attacked the pack first, they'd go after him next."

"But you wouldn't see that because you can't see the outcome of an attack on the pack," Elladan pointed out.

Tauriel scowled and crossed her arms. "I hate being blind like this."

Kili knew the only reason he wasn't freaking out right now was Elladan's influence on him. An entire coven of vampires could be planning to attack Fili and his pack because of _him._

"It'll be okay, Kili," Legolas soothed.

He shook his head. "You don't know that. You can't know that. Tauriel can't _see_ any of this! They won't have any warning! And there's only six of them! Six against what could be a hundred vampires for all we know!"

"It won't be a hundred," Elrohir assured him. "At most it'll be around twenty."

"And there will be twelve against them," Tauriel stated. "Sixteen if the rest of our family can get here from Alaska in time."

"What?" Kili looked around the table at the determined faces of his vampire friends. "Why would you risk your lives? For me? For the wolves?"

"You're family now, too," Elladan replied seriously.

Elrohir shot Legolas an amused look. "Yeah, whether or not certain people want to admit it."

The blond didn't look happy but nodded his head. "You have to understand, Kili, that vampires take their mating bonds extremely seriously. We cease being a single person. Our lives are tied to our mates."

Those words sounded awfully familiar to him. "That's how Fili described the werewolf's One," he realized with a start.

Legolas' mouth twisted into a reluctant smile. "Good to know I'm not in this alone, at least."

"When two vampires of different covens mate, the covens merge together," Tauriel continued. "It's easier that way because neither mate wants the other to lose their coven bonds, you see? For us, it's even worse because we still have our souls. It allows us to form more substantial bonds of love."

"Are you trying to tell me that your coven is going to merge with the pack?" Kili asked, unable to hold back a laugh at the absurdity of the thought.

Elrohir pouted. "We prefer to call ourselves a family instead of a coven. But yes."

Kili shook his head. "I think you might meet some resistance there," he commented, thinking about Dwalin and Nori's protectiveness.

"Well, we'll just have to prove ourselves in battle," Tauriel replied with a smirk.

"A battle that might not happen," Bain pointed out. "We don't _know_ that an entire coven is going to attack the pack."

"I hope they don't," Legolas said with a troubled look. "But we'll be ready for them if they do."

Kili understood Legolas' worried expression. No doubt, the blond was thinking about a certain red-furred werewolf that would be right in the line of fire. He, himself, couldn't help worrying about the golden Alpha that he knew would rather die than let any of his pack be hurt.

tbc…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Fili couldn't help but stare in horror at Kili as what he said sunk in.

"The vampires our people faced in the past were always alone," he said faintly. The idea that what amounted to an army of vampires could show up at any moment, all intent on killing Kili, _terrified_ him. The pack was nowhere near ready to fight that many vampires at once. What if one got past them?

"Why didn't Elrond tell us this before?" he growled, stepping back from Kili as his wolf threatened to burst forward in anger. "Did he think it wasn't _important_ that we know about that we were facing an entire coven of vampires?"

"I don't think he did it on purpose," Kili replied, closing the distance he had put between them and wrapping his arms around Fili's waist. The wolf instantly calmed at his âzyungâl's touch. "I got the impression that the other vampire covens rarely get together, and they all probably assumed Tauriel would see an entire coven attacking."

"Maybe, but this changes everything," he said, wrapping his own arms around Kili and pulling him tight against him, as if holding him closer would keep any vampires from getting him. "I don't think we can afford to just go about our daily business anymore. We need to all be in one place and prepare for an attack."

If there was a fight, which now seemed pretty inevitable for him, he wanted Kili nowhere near it. But these vampires would be after Kili. The fight would necessarily be wherever he was. That thought caused his heart to clench painfully.

"We can't just barricade ourselves in one place and wait for an attack that might never come," Kili pointed out in an exasperated tone.

"Sure we can," Fili stated, resolved to do just that. They would not be caught unawares. "In fact, we should do that as soon as possible."

"Fili, how are we supposed to do that?" he asked reasonably. "I have school, you have work! And the rest of the pack has either one or the other too! It's been two months since the vampire tried to attack! Who's to say it won't be two more months? Or six? Or a _year_? Or if an attack will even come at all!"

Fili knew what Kili was saying made sense, but in his gut told him that the vampires _were_ going to attack and that it was going to be _soon_. "I'm pretty sure school and work won't matter all that much if we're dead," he said grimly.

Kili was quiet for a moment before he sighed in defeat. "But where do we go? We can't stay here. They're too many other people around."

"That's the problem." He frowned thoughtfully. "Everyone lives too close to the center of Erebor. We can't put other people in danger."

"We could ask the Peredhels if we could set up base at their house?" Kili suggested. "It's far enough outside of Dale that no one would get hurt."

He thought about that for a moment before shaking his head. "If the Peredhels are serious about helping us, then we don't want the other vampires to be prepared for them. Staying there would tip our hand."

"What about my house?" the brunet tried again. "There's no power, but it's on the fringe of the reservation and pretty isolated. And the vampires are likely to go there first anyway, right?"

Fili pursed his lips. "We wouldn't be able to go immediately." It was the only downside, really. It would take a day or two to get the power turned on, which might be a day or two too late. The wolves and the vampires would be fine with no heat as they didn't feel temperature the same as humans, but Kili would likely freeze to death if they stayed the night there.

"We could survive a day without electricity," Kili said with a roll of his eyes.

"Kili, it dropped below freezing last night," he replied in an unimpressed tone.

"And cuddling with you is like cuddling a space heater," he retorted. "I'll be fine."

"I don't think we'll chance it," Fili said with finality, mind already thinking of alternatives. "I'll call to get the power turned on now. Until then, you and I will lay low here and have the pack fan out a few miles past our borders."

He'd have to stay in wolf form himself even if he stayed in Erebor with Kili. Not only would it mean he'd be instantly ready for any attack, but it would allow him to stay in contact with the rest of the pack, as their telepathic link didn't seem to have any sort of distance limitation.

He couldn't stay upstairs in the apartment, though. He wasn't sure the floor could handle the weight of the wolf, and if it came to an attack, getting down the stairs as a wolf would be difficult.

It wasn't a sustainable solution, but it would work for a night or so.

He went to step back from Kili to pull out his phone, needing to call Dwalin and let him know the plan. Kili sighed, but let him go. The call to Dwalin, though, was all but forgotten as Kili swayed worryingly as soon as Fili's arms pulled away. The werewolf immediately reached his arms out to steady his âzyungâl.

"Are you okay?" he asked, leaning forward to brush his lips over Kili's forehead, using a technique his mom used to use when he was little to take his temperature. He frowned at the excessive heat coming off of the brunet.

He nodded his head as he leaned heavily on Fili. "Just a bit dizzy. Sorry."

"Let's get you upstairs to bed," the blond said, not giving his One a chance to protest as he scooped him up in his arms and carried him towards the stairs.

"Hey!" Kili cried in protest, but didn't try to squirm out of his arms. "I can walk, you know," he said with a pout.

"I like carrying you," Fili replied truthfully, smirking down at him as they neared the top of the stairs. He frowned, though, at the closed hatch.

Kili laughed. "Enhanced werewolf strength, but no extra arm to push open the door," he teased, reaching up with one hand to push open the hatch. When he was only able to lift it an inch, he frowned before reaching up with the other to shove it open with huff of exertion.

"We make a great team," the blond said, though he couldn't help worrying about the amount of effort it cost Kili to open the fairly lightweight hatch. He crossed the apartment in just a few strides and lay the brunet gently on the bed. It was a testament to how bad Kili was feeling that he didn't protest when Fili tugged off his shoes and pulled the heavy quilt over him.

Kili sighed as Fili's brushed his hair from his forehead. "Great time to be sick, huh?" he said bitterly.

Fili frowned. "How long have you felt this bad?" he asked bluntly, knowing Kili would've tried to hide this from him as long as possible. He hated that Kili still felt the need to keep things that were hurting him to himself, but he knew his mother had done a real number on him. The brunet was terrified of being a burden, no doubt believing, at least subconsciously, that he'd lose Fili's love if he was.

It was a ridiculous notion, because Kili could never be a burden and he could _never_ lose Fili's love, but it was what he had grown up hearing.

It was times like this that made Fili unable to really feel sorry that Tiffany Oakley had died the way she had, though he felt instantly guilty for the thought every time.

"About a week," Kili admitted reluctantly, but rushed to continue, "But it hasn't been this bad, I swear!" He tried to sit up to no doubt plead his case, but tilted sideways and would've fallen off the bed if Fili hadn't been quick to catch him. "I've just been a bit achy and dizzy, is all, just like I told you before," he mumbled into the blond's chest. "Never this achy and dizzy though."

"Shh, I believe you," Fili assured him, biting back aching concern at Kili's sudden debilitation as he helped him lay back. If he had thought that Kili's illness had been caused from him becoming a wolf, the idea was seeming less likely now.

Kili's symptoms were similar, true, but it hadn't hit any of the pack as bad as this. Or as suddenly. The shifting came on gradually, allowing the body time to develop in order to handle the physical toll shifting had on it.

What was happening to Kili wasn't gradual. It had come out of nowhere.

What if in Tauriel's vision, it hadn't been pneumonia that had landed Kili in the hospital? What if he was really sick? What if…?

"Whatever you're frowning about, stop," the brunet said firmly, reaching a hand out to wrap around his own. "I'm fine. It's probably just the flu or something. Stop imagining the worst."

Fili pursed his lips. "You don't know that," he replied, bringing his free hand up to cup his cheek, the heat beneath his hand not helping to alleviate his worry at all. He sighed heavily before standing up and walking into the bathroom to grab a thermometer. "Can you put this in your mouth?" he asked when he came back and settled back onto the edge of the bed.

Kili rolled his eyes but opened his mouth dutifully. Fili smiled down at him and running his fingers through his thick, dark hair, causing Kili to close his eyes and relax into his touch. He sat there in silent, his fingers still playing with Kili's hair, until the thermometer beeped.

He looked down at the numbers and his heart skipped a beat.

104.2.

That was far too high.

"I've got to make a couple of calls. You just rest, okay?"

Something on his face must have kept Kili from asking what the thermometer said. He pressed a kiss to the brunet's forehead and pulled the quilt up to his chin. Kili rolled his eyes at him but didn't protest the treatment. He went downstairs so that he wouldn't disturb his âzyungâl.

The first call he made was to Thorin, hoping he'd be able to do something to expedite turning the power on at Kili's. He had forgotten, though, that he hadn't bothered to keep his uncle updated on what was happening with the pack. Someone had obviously kept him and the rest of the Council abreast of everything, but given Thorin's snipey tone, he wasn't happy that he hadn't heard from Fili himself.

Still, Fili managed to spend less than two minutes on the phone with him _and_ wrangle a promise to help from him.

Dwalin was much less difficult, though he argued quite vehemently that they should patrol in pairs. Fili knew exactly why the older wolf wanted to go out with a partner, and though he was sure Dwalin would be much less distracted with Ori patrolling at his side rather than miles away, he also knew that there were far too few wolves to send them out in pairs. He didn't give Dwalin a chance to argue with him, too concerned about Kili to do much more than bark the orders for the pack.

His last call was to the hospital in Dale, after looking the number online. It was the only way he had to get in contact with the vampires, which in hindsight was probably something he should have rectified a long time ago. Usually, if they needed to get in touch with the Peredhels, Kili would call them. But Kili needed his rest and he didn't want to disturb him unless he had to.

Luckily, Elrond was working at the hospital when he called, and it didn't take long for his call to be connected to the vampire's office.

"Fili, what can I do for you?" Elrond asked pleasantly. Too pleasantly for someone who was supposed to be a creature of the night, Fili decided, though he supposed it was offset by his husband.

He hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Kili's sick," he admitted. "I know it's a lot to ask, but would you consider coming to check him out? I'm… worried."

That was probably an understatement.

"Is it related to him shifting?" the doctor inquired in a low tone.

Fili didn't ask how the vampire knew that the wolves got sick, for lack of a better word, right before shifting. Kili knew it and may have thought about it without meaning to in Legolas' presence. Or he might have just told the vampires. It didn't really matter. Fili trusted the Peredhels.

Well, he trusted them in his head. The wolf inside, though, was still leery of the creatures who were supposed to be their mortal enemies. But they had tried to protect his âzyungâl. That was enough to appease the wolf for now.

"Kili hasn't shifted yet," Fili told him. "I don't know if he will or not. It's possible that his symptoms are related, but they came on so fast…"

"You expect him to shift, though, right?" Elrond asked. "It's my understanding that it is genetic. Surely with his father he'll shift?"

Fili furrowed his brow. "We don't know who his father was."

"Oh… I just assumed you knew…" the vampire's voice trailed off, sounding almost sheepish to Fili's ears. "I mean, Kili looks just like him."

"Who?" the werewolf demanded.

"Dain Ironhill."

Fili swallowed thickly. Elrond had confirmed what he had been his suspicion ever since Thorin had told him Kili was Khuzdul. And Elrond was right. If Ironhill was Kili's father, then it was probably inevitable that Kili shifted. Still, he wasn't sure if his current symptoms were a sign of that or something much more sinister.

"That's not important right now," he said dismissively. "Kili's temperature is over 104 degrees. Will you come?"

"I'll leave right now."

"Thank you."

He ended the call with a sigh, gazing at the stairs and wondering if he should hold off on telling Kili about his father until he was better.

But secrets had hurt him enough, he decided. And since they weren't likely to have any privacy in the coming days, he should probably tell him sooner rather than later.

Fili sighed before beginning to climb the stairs. He should tell him before Elrond got here.

Of course, he hadn't really taken into account vampiric speed. Before he could even climb all the stairs, there was a firm knock on the door.

When he answered it, instead of finding just Elrond on the other side, he found the entire Peredhel family.

Elrohir grinned at him, so something of his surprise must have shown on his face. "We figured we'd come start guard duty while Elrond is playing doctor."

Fili could only nod and step back for them to step in.

He was undeniably grateful they were here, but any chance he had at a moment alone to tell Kili about his father was gone.

He didn't think this was a conversation Kili would want overheard, let alone by all his vampire friends. He'd have to figure out a better time to tell him.

"Make yourself at home," he told them before leading Elrond up the stairs to the apartment.

He'd worry about telling Kili about his father and about the coven of vampires currently occupying his shop later. Right now, he had to focus on making sure Kili was alright.

And given how Elrond frowned at the brunet as soon as he walked in, he was sure he had every right to be concerned.

tbc…


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Kili started awake as he felt a cold hand press against his forehead. Blinking his eyes open, he frowned as Elrond's face swam into focus. The doctor's face was pinched in concern for some reason.

He looked past the vampire to where Fili was hovering over his shoulder. The werewolf seemed anxious. Why? What had Elrond Fili both so worried?

"How long has his temperature been this high?" Elrond asked urgently.

Fili shook his head. "I'm not sure. He said he was feeling bad all week, but said it hadn't been this bad. But it was over 104 when I called."

Elrond focused on him once again. "Kili? Are you with us? Can you hear me?"

He frowned in confusion. "Of course I can hear you," he said with a roll of his eyes that he instantly regretted as it made his head feel oddly off-balanced. "Why wouldn't I be able to hear you?"

The vampire furrowed his brow. "He's remarkably lucid for someone with such a high fever."

Kili was annoyed now. " _He_ can hear you so can you please stop talking like _he_ isn't right here," he snapped irritably.

"I'm sorry, Kili," Elrond said sincerely. "You're right. I just—"

He was interrupted as there was a sharp rap on the apartment hatch before it was shoved opened and Tauriel stepped inside with a deep frown on her face.

"I can't see Kili's future," she announced without preamble.

Kili heard Fili's breath hitch before he pushed past Elrond to grasp Kili's shoulder desperately. "Then you're wrong," the werewolf growled. "Kili will be _fine_!"

Tauriel rolled her eyes. "You're not understanding. I didn't see him die. I can't see him _at all_. Just like I can't see you _at all_."

Elrond's eyes lit up in comprehension. "You think he's shifting?"

She nodded.

"His symptoms are much worse than any of the pack had when shifting," Fili argued.

"He's the only one of you who's been malnourished for years, though," Elrond pointed out. "The change must be correcting as much of the past damage as possible. The greater the change, the more the human body will fight against it."

"Still here," Kili muttered bitterly, not likely the talk of him being "malnourished" and "damaged." Though the thought of him shifting was exhilarating.

Fili wouldn't have to die for him.

"So he's going to be okay?" Fili asked hopefully.

Elrond frowned. "I don't know," he replied uncertainly. "His fever is dangerously high. His body is fighting this very hard. I don't know enough about werewolf physiology to be able to say that he'll definitely make it through. Vampires are different. It doesn't matter how hard the body fights the change because the body technically dies when the change is completely."

Fili's hand tightened on his shoulder.

Kili huffed. "I'm going to be _fine_ ," he insisted, shrugging off Fili's hand and pushing himself into a sitting position. He managed to stay upright for about half a second before he flopped back on the bed, squeezing his eyes shut to stop the world from spinning and trembling slightly with exhaustion.

"Kili!" Fili cried in alarm.

So maybe he wasn't _fine_ , Kili conceded silently. But he wasn't going to _die_. His body would finish doing whatever it needed to do to shift and then he and Fili would live together _forever_.

He held onto that thought as he dared to open his eyes once more, thankful when the room didn't spin.

"Is there anything you can do?" Fili was asking Elrond.

"I can give him some aspirin for the fever," he answered. "The fever is the most dangerous thing right now. If we can get it down, he'll have a much better chance of pulling through. It might also help to cool him down a bit, but that won't be pleasant for him. I would not suggest that unless things become truly dire."

Kili cringed at that. He was already barely repressing his shivers under the heavy quilt Fili had laid over him earlier, despite his burning face. He didn't want to think about what cooling him down would entail.

Fili nodded. "I'll give him some aspirin and meet both of you downstairs to brief you all on what are current plan is."

Elrond and Tauriel, obviously knowing they were being dismissed, ducked out of the apartment at that, shutting the hatch behind them and giving Fili and Kili a moment alone.

After he took the aspirin Fili brought him, Kili looked up at the blond with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm going to be okay. I'm just becoming a bit more durable."

Kili thought he would have been a lot more convincing if his voice didn't sound so weak.

Fili sighed and sank down on the bed to sit beside him. "I can't lose you," he whispered in a choked voice, brushing Kili's sweaty hair from his forehead. Kili noted with a little sorrow that his braids had become hopelessly unraveled at some point.

"You won't," Kili insisted, reaching up to grab Fili's hand and gripping it as tight as he could. "Me shifting means I was born to be a wolf, right? It's in my blood. This won't kill me."

The words hung in the air in the silence following them, Fili's anguished face still staring down at Kili, blue eyes sparkling with unshed tears. Fili finally broke his gaze and looked away for a few moments.

"You were, you know?" he said, looking back at Kili with a slightly more composed face. "Born for this, I mean. Elrond figured out who your father was."

Kili's heart constricted and he held his breath. His father. The man he used to dream would show up and save him when he was little. Did he really want to know who he was?

Yes, he decided. Though it wasn't really a matter of _want_. It was more like he _needed_ to know. Needed to _understand_.

"Who?" he breathed, looking at Fili imploringly.

"Dain Ironhill."

Kili's mind stuttered at that. The wolf that had left the tribe? The wolf that had been upset his pack hadn't used his abilities to help others outside the tribe? The wolf Kili had been silently admiring ever since he had learned about him, believing that the rest of the pack all those years ago had _listened_ to Dain, Kili might not have been so abandoned by the tribe when he was younger…

 _That_ Dain had been the first one to ever abandon Kili.

"Guess he got good at leaving," he remarked bitterly.

"I don't know why Dain left you, but I know that if he did it out of choice, then he was an idiot," Fili said, lying down fully next to him and pulling him into his arms. "Anyone who would give you up is."

"Never be an idiot, then, okay?" Kili begged, pressing his face into the crook of Fili's neck, ignoring how hot it made him. It didn't matter if his father had left him or if his mother hadn't loved him. Not as long as he had Fili.

"Never," Fili vowed, catching his lips in a gentle kiss. The blond pulled away reluctantly and rested their foreheads together. "Will you be alright up here by yourself? Or do you want me to send one of the vampires up to keep you company?"

"You're not coming back?" he asked in confusion.

He shook his head sadly. "I have to keep in contact with the rest of the pack, which means I have to stay a wolf."

"So stay a wolf up here," he argued.

Fili's eyes pleaded with him for understanding. "I can't. The wolf's too heavy. It easily weighs over 600 pounds, probably more. The floor won't hold me."

"It _will_ ," Kili insisted, even though he wasn't quite sure if it would. Fili's wolf was as big as a horse. It would definitely strain the wooden boards that made up the floor.

"It's probably better not to chance it," the blond replied.

"Then let me sleep downstairs on the sofa," he suggested.

"You won't be comfortable on that old thing," Fili countered. "And you need _rest._ How much rest would you get in a room full of vampires who don't sleep?"

Kili frowned as a horrible thought crossed his mind. "Don't you _want_ me around?" he asked hesitantly.

" _Kee_ , of _course_ , I do!" Fili cried, pulling him tighter against him. "You're my âzyungâl. I _always_ want you around. I just want what's best for you."

Kili shook his head. "I won't be able to sleep without you around," he confessed. "Even if you're just downstairs. _Please_ let me stay on the sofa?"

The blond sighed in resignation but nodded. "Okay, but only if you promise to not overexert yourself. You'll let me and everyone else take care of you until you shift, promise?"

He wrinkled his nose at that but nodded anyway. "Promise."

Fili smiled at him and rolled off the bed. "Thank you, my One," he said as he gently scooped Kili into his arms.

The words jolted a memory out of him that he had almost forgotten. Something his mother had said…

 _"He said I was his one…" she had hiccuped. "His one true_ love _!_ "

Could his mother have been Dain's One? Had that been what she was saying? That she was his _âzyungâl_?!

The thought worried him as Fili carried him down the stairs and settled him onto the beat up couch in the shop, tucking the quilt that he had scooped up along with Kili around him and making sure he was comfortable.

"Here," someone said softly before a couple of pillows would placed under his head.

He smiled tiredly up at Fili and tuned out as the werewolf explained what their plan was.

If his mother was Dain's âzyungâl, then why would he have left? What would have made him leave his _soulmate_?

Surely it hadn't really been Kili, like his mother had thought. From the stories, Dain didn't seem like the type of shirk his responsibilities. But there had to have been a _reason_ , right?

What if his mother had done something to make him stop loving her? Was that possible? Was it possible to break the bond between a wolf and his âzyungâl?

The thought sent Kili into a quiet panic. What if there _was_? What if it was possible to push the wolf so far that he wouldn't love his One anymore? Or at least, wouldn't want to be around them?

What if he pushed Fili to that point?

It'd probably be easy to do, too, considering how fucking needy Kili was, he thought bitterly. Once all the danger was gone and Kili had shifted, what was to stop Fili from deciding he didn't want such a needy âzyungâl? Kili wouldn't even blame him if he _did_.

Though he was positive it would shatter him.

A whimper broke free of his lips as a hot tear ran down his cheek. Fili was at his side in an instant.

"What's wrong?" he asked urgently. "Are you in pain?"

Kili let out a sob and shook his head, turning his head to bury his face in Fili's stomach, needing the closeness while he was still allowed to seek it out. The werewolf's arms encircled him and held him, letting him cry into his shirt without question.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here," Fili soothed.

"The fever must be getting to him," Elrond's worried voice said from somewhere Kili couldn't see.

This had nothing to do with his fever, but Kili didn't bother correcting him. He didn't know how he'd possibly articulate his fears anyway. He knew Fili wouldn't believe that he would grow tired of Kili and wouldn't want him around. Even if Fili accepted that his mother was his father's One and he had abandoned her, then he'd probably paint Tiffany as the one at fault. Considering all his mother had done, it probably wouldn't even be that big of a stretch.

But she was still his mother. There had to have been something of her inside of Kili. What if that something drove Fili away?

He was grateful that they thought his breakdown was attributable to his fever. He didn't really want of them to know how pathetic he was.

He felt drained when the tears finally stopped flowing. Fili lay him back onto the sofa after a few moments, brushing the tears tracks on his face away with his thumbs. It _hurt_ to see how worried Fili was about him.

Maybe Fili would even be better off without him? He wouldn't have to worry as much then.

The thought threatened to set him off once more, but he was too exhausted. Fili carefully pressed a hand to the back of his head and helped him up a bit as a glass of water was pressed to his lips.

He drank the cool liquid gratefully, not realizing how dry his mouth was until that moment.

"Just sleep, Kee," Fili murmured after he had drained the glass. "I'll be right here beside you. I promise."

"Love you," he managed to slur out even as his eyes slid shut. He had to say it. Had to tell Fili while he could.

"I love you, too."

For now, Kili decided, that was enough. He would savor it while he could.

And if he lost it later, well, it was more than he had ever deserved anyway.

tbc…


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

It was a long night for Fili. Between staying awake to keep tabs on the pack's patrol and not being able to sleep anyway out of worry for Kili, he was exhausted when the sun finally rose the next morning.

Kili had slept fitfully on the couch. Fili had kept his large head resting on the armrest by Kili's feet, hating that he could do nothing to help him. He couldn't even rest his head against him for fear of his own heat making Kili's fever worse.

Elrond had kept cold compresses on Kili's forehead all night. The pinched look of concern had disappeared from the vampire's face, so Fili hoped that meant that Kili's temperature was gone down.

Fili's cellphone rang around ten. Caring little for his modesty, he shifted back to answer it, hoping it was Thorin. Mercifully, it was, and he had good news.

"The power will be back on at Kili's house by noon," his uncle assured him over the phone.

That surprised Fili. "How'd you manage to get it on so soon?"

"I called in a couple of favors," Thorin answered dismissively. "You should move there as soon as possible. I've already spread the word that everyone on the reservation should evacuate if possible, but most of the families have nowhere to go."

"I'll call the pack back in and we'll set up base there as soon as possible. I don't want to move Kili, though, until we can have heat in the house. He's sick enough as it is," Fili told him, gazing at his âzyungâl's sweaty, pale face with an aching heart.

"What's wrong with Kili?" Thorin asked sharply.

"He's shifting," he sighed. "But his body isn't taking it so well. It's… straining him."

"Fili…"

"He's going to be fine," he interrupted whatever Thorin was going to say. "Thank you for getting the power turned back on. I'll keep you updated."

He hung up before Thorin could say anything else, eyes feeling tight as he stomped back his worry and grief. Kili _was_ going to be fine. He had to hold on to that or he'd go crazy.

"His temperature is hovering around 104," Elrond told him gently. "It's still high but it's not getting any higher, which is good."

Fili nodded and gave him a grateful smile. "Thorin says Kili's house will have power by noon."

"We heard," Elladan said, stepping in from outside. "The others will be here soon. I took the liberty of telling Arwen that they should stop by a grocery store and stock up on everything a pack of werewolves might need to last them for at least a month."

Fili hadn't even _thought_ about supplies. "Thank you," he replied gratefully.

"We're family now!" Elrohir chimed in cheerfully, throwing an arm around Legolas, who shot him a thoroughly unamused glare. "There's nothing to thank!"

"Besides, we'd never let anything happen to Kili," Tauriel said seriously, gazing at Kili's fitful form. "To have been what he's been through and to still be so caring… it just proves how special of a person he is."

Fili knew that Kili was special. He just wished the brunet realized it himself.

"Fili," Kili whined weakly, eyes cracking open.

He was there in a second, grabbing one of Kili's hands and resting his other hand on the top of his head. "I'm here."

The brunet looked at him with glassy eyes. "Promise me you'll keep living when I die," he forced out with seemingly great effort.

Fear squeezed at his heart but he shook his head. "You're not doing to die, Kee," he said with more confidence than he felt.

"Feels that way," he muttered, letting his eyes close. "Stay with me until then? Please don't leave me…"

"I'm never going to leave you," Fili promised, hating Kili's mother with everything he had in that moment for making her son believe he was worthless. He even spared an angry thought directed at Dain Ironhill for not being around when Kili needed him. "You're my everything."

Kili opened his eyes for a moment but didn't have the strength to keep them from closing again. A rueful smile played across his lips. "Mom was Dain's everything," he slurred out. "His âz'ngâl… Still left her…"

Fili started at that. How could Kili know that? Was it true? He pushed the questions away. They didn't matter. What mattered right now was Kili.

"If that's true, then I promise Dain didn't leave the two of you out of choice," he assured him, dropping a kiss on his sweaty brow. "Because if he felt for your mother even a tenth of what I feel for you, then he'd rather rip out his own heart than abandon either of you."

"D'n't know that…"

"I know that my heart is yours until it stops beating," Fili insisted, needing Kili to understand. "Never doubt that."

Kili smiled again before his body jerked and he gasped. Fili stared in horror as Kili's entire body began to spasm.

"He's seizing," Elrond stated calmly, pushing Fili aside gently and turning Kili on his side.

Fili had never felt more terrified in his life. He watched helplessly as Kili flailed on the couch, Elladan and Elrohir holding his limbs down as Elrond held his head.

It felt like it went on for _years_ , but it really probably lasted less than a minute.

As soon as the seizure had passed, Fili pushed past the vampires and scooped Kili into his arms, bowing his head over the unconscious brunet and struggled to hold back tears. He focused on the rise and fall of Kili's chest, the steady pulse beneath his skin, and tried to fight back the panic from a moment ago.

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but the seizure is a good thing," Elrond told him softly. "It's his body's way of short-circuiting his immune system and stopping his fever from getting any higher."

Fili tried to take comfort in those words, but he couldn't get the sight of Kili's convulsing figure out of his mind. He clutched Kili tighter to him for a few more minutes before sighing.

"I need to shift back and let the pack know what's happening," he said reluctantly, laying Kili back down on the couch.

 _Fili?_ _Is everything alright there?_ Gimli asked as soon as he shifted.

 _Fine,_ he thought back, thought he couldn't stop his mind from flashing to Kili's seizing body and broadcasting it to the pack.

 _Shit_ , Dwalin swore. _It's getting worse._

 _Maybe it means he'll shift soon?_ Ori suggested hopefully.

 _Maybe…_ Fili allowed himself to hold on to that small hope. _Anyway, you can come back in. The power will be on at Kili's house soon and we'll set up base there. I want you all here while we're moving Kili._

They maintained radio, or rather telepathic-link, silence as they ran back to Erebor, the other wolves ever vigilant for any sign of vampire in the area. Within the hour, the entire pack was stationed around the perimeter of the shop.

"We should move Kili now," Tauriel said. "I'll carry him." Fili growled at that but she just rolled her eyes. "It'll be a quicker move if we all run. No offense, but you couldn't keep up unless you're in wolf-form, and we didn't bring a saddle."

He growled again just to display his displeasure before huffing in agreement, stepping back to give her access to Kili. She lifted him easily and wrapped him securely in the quilt. She gave him a soft smile. "I'll be careful. I promise. I love him too."

Fili felt a bit better at the assurance, but still stayed close to her side as they ran through the woods towards their destination. They weren't far from the house when a black blur left over Elrohir on Tauriel's other side and attempted to attack her from above.

She spun out of the way with surprised cry, moving faster than even Fili could see. Fili wasted no time, though, and snapped his powerful jaws at the black-clad figure that landed near him, managing to catch him off guard and sinking his teeth into his neck before _ripping_.

The attacker went down before all hell broke loose.

#

Kili forced his heavy lids open as consciousness slowly creeped in, confusion clouding his mind. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was Fili reassuring that there was nothing that would make him stop loving him.

The corners of his lips twitched up at that, but they dipped down in a frown. He wasn't on the sofa anymore. He was propped up against something rough. Where was he?

A loud snarl in front of him forced the fogginess from his mind and he made his eyes focus on what was happening around him.

He trembled and shrank back as the sight in front of him. There were five vampires surrounding him, dark eyes fixed on Kili with cruel smirks on their faces. Fili, Tauriel, and Elrohir stood between him and the vampires, both sides sizing each other up at the moment and not making any moves.

Kili could see that beyond them the rest of the pack and the Peredhels were fighting their fair share of vampires. In the confusion, he couldn't tell how many there were, but everyone seemed to be fighting at least one vampire, plus the five that were in front of him.

They were outnumbered, he realized with a shudder.

The tall, pale vampire in the middle of the five gave him a terrible smile. "Give us the baby wolf and we'll let you live."

Kili whimpered and tried to shrink back even more. The golden wolf's ear twitched in his direction, and the vampires took that minute distraction as their cue to attack.

"Fili!" he cried as the tall leader lunged at him.

Tauriel and Elrohir had their hands full with the other four vampires, but Kili kept his eyes glued on Fili as he fought who he assumed was the leader of the coven.

He wanted to _help_. Instead, he was stuck waiting on the sidelines as the man he loved risked his life to protect him.

He couldn't even _watch_ , dammit. Most of the fight was happening too fast for still human eyes to take in. He cursed his body for being too weak to have shifted already. He was worse than useless.

Kili heard a roar of fury from Elrohir and turned to see the enraged twin standing over Tauriel's collapsed body, the redhead struggling to get to her feet. Kili could see, though, that she was cradling her arm to her body and her left leg was shaky.

He watched in horror as one of the four vampires facing the two broke away and joined his leader's fight against Fili.

"NO!" he screamed as the golden wolf was thrown _hard_ against a large tree, a loud _crack_ resounding as the trunk split and the tree fell backwards.

Fili didn't get up.

The lead vampire gave him an oddly pleasant-looking smile that made him appear deranged and he darted forward to stop just a few feet from Kili, the other vampire staying back to hover over Fili's prone body.

Kili knew he should be worried about the vampire looming over him, but all he could think about was Fili.

He had to be okay. He _couldn't_ be…

"Don't worry, baby wolf," the vampire whispered in a soothing tone that sent chills down Kili's back. "I'm not going to kill you. Yet."

"W-why are you after me?" he asked, trying desperately to stall for time as he stared at Fili. _Get up! Please!_

The vampire's smile widened. "Your screams of pain and eventual death will utterly _destroy_ a friend of mine. He's been my guest for some years, actually. I'm afraid your mother was just not as satisfactory as I thought she'd be. She hurt him plenty, of course, but it had nothing to do with what _I_ did to her," he explained, sounding almost offended. "And while watching the wolf in anguish was fun, I have a feeling you'll pull a more lively reaction from him."

Kili didn't understand anything the crazy vampire was saying, but he really didn't care. He had eyes only for Fili, and he had to resist the urge to cry in triumph as the golden wolf's eyes snapped over and he tore the vampire next to him apart.

The leader snarled, rushing forward and grabbing Kili roughly before throwing him over his shoulder and running off. Kili had to squeeze his eyes shut as the world began to speed past him, causing him to feel a wave of dizziness.

He could hear Fili's howl of rage behind him, but the vampire that had him was faster than his boyfriend's wolf. He wasn't going to catch him in time.

But he would track him. The vampire wouldn't be able to escape the wolf pack's tracking ability, especially with their Alpha being so determined. It'd probably just make the vampire decide to kill him immediately rather than drag it out with torture, though…

And while he definitely didn't want to be tortured, he didn't want to die. Not knowing how it would _kill_ Fili. Literally.

Kili tried to squirm against the arms holding him, but the vampire was too strong and he was far too weak.

If he was shifting, why couldn't he shift _now_?

Something rammed into the vampire all of a sudden, causing Kili to tumble to the ground.

He scrambled from the fallen vampire, despite knowing it was no use. No matter how far he ran, he'd still be caught. It didn't matter anyway, of course, because he collapsed against a tree before he had gotten ten yards away.

Kili turned to see if the vampire was giving him chase yet and was confused to see him facing down a large brown wolf that he had never seen before.

He was frozen in terror and exhaustion as the new wolf growled angrily at the vampire, who had lost all maniacal pleasantness and was snarling right back. Suddenly, the wolf pounced, the two blurring together in flashes of fur and teeth and pale skin while Kili trembled in fear.

If the vampire won, he knew he was done for. But he didn't know who this wolf was. What if he wasn't on their side either?

Kili knew he should try and put as much distance between this fight and him as possible, but he didn't think he could move.

After what felt like hours, Kili saw the wolf's jaws snap close around the vampire's head and he _ripped_ , sending the head sailing at least twenty feet away. Kili's eyes widened as the wolf's attention turned to him and he began to stalk towards him.

He whimpered as he hugged the tree that was keeping him upright.

A loud snarl sounded around them before Fili jumped between them, golden wolf crouching and ready to attack what it perceived as a new threat to his âzyungâl.

tbc…


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Fili raced after the vampire who took Kili with a pounding heart, fear pushing him to run harder and harder. Fury was raging through the wolf, but all the human part of him wanted to do is cry out in anguish.

He couldn't lose Kili.

Growls and hisses hit his ear as the scent of his One grew stronger. He snarled as he darted through the trees, leaping to land in a protective crouch in front of Kili.

Fili quickly took in the dismembered vampire at the feet of a large, hulking brown wolf. He wasn't bigger than the Alpha, but he wasn't much smaller either. For a split second, Fili almost relaxed, not seeing another wolf as a threat, but quickly changed his mind with how the wolf stared intensely at his âzyungâl.

He growled in warning, crouching lower in anticipation of an attack. The other wolf's eyes snapped to him and narrowed into a glare as his lip curled up.

They stood there for a few moments, sizing each other up and both stealing glances at Kili periodically. Fili didn't know where this wolf had come from, but if he thought Fili was just going to let him take his One, he had another thing coming.

"Fee…" Kili's small voice half-whimpered behind him, causing Fili's attention to leave the other wolf completely and focus entirely on the brunet.

His eyes widened in alarm as Kili, looking far too pale, collapsed onto the ground, shivering violently. He lurched forward, shifting back as he moved, uncaring that the unknown wolf was still there.

"Kili," he called, pulling the brunet's limp body into his arms. His heart clenched as he felt how much heat was coming off of Kili's feverish body.

Kili looked up at him with glassy eyes. "Fee… I…" he murmured faintly, head lolling before he rested it against Fili's chest, "feel so weak…"

"You're going to be _fine_ ," Fili insisted, clutching the brunet desperately.

"I… love you," he whispered, chest not rising again after he used his last exhale to say the words.

"NO!" Fili cried, tears blurring his vision as he gazed down at Kili's closed eyes. "Please, âzyungâl, don't leave me! Kili, _please_!"

"Stand back!" a rough voice called from behind him.

Fili tightened his grip on Kili, turning his head to growl at the man that was standing there in the strange wolf's place.

"You must let him go!" the stranger told him in an alarmed tone.

"I will _never_ let him go!" he snarled. How dare this stranger try and tell him to just let his One go? If Kili was gone, then Fili would surely follow him.

"You don't understand," the man sighed impatiently. "He's _shifting_."

Before Fili could reply, though, Kili's body jerked in his arms and the brunet gasped. Fili felt hands pull him away harshly as a black wolf suddenly burst into place where Kili had been.

"Kili?"

Kili's wolf was magnificent, fur smooth, sleek, and pitch black. The wolf shook his head as if confused before he turned and crouched in front of them, growling in warning.

Fili froze, not wanting to alarm Kili further and not knowing how much of Kili was aware inside the wolf. What if the wolf had taken over completely? What if Kili was… gone?

He didn't have time for that fear to fully sink in before the wolf's dark eyes locked with his and the growling ceased as he stared at Fili as if mesmerized.

Fili smiled as he realized what had just happened. Kili wasn't gone, and Fili was sure he would never doubt Fili's love for him again.

The wolf began to shrink in on himself. Fili rushed forward and pulled Kili into his arms before he even finished shifting back.

Tears of joy and relief were blurring his vision as he wrapped his arms tightly around his âzyungâl. He was shaking with overwhelming emotion, having gone from losing Kili forever to having gained an eternity with him in less than five minutes.

"I'm okay," Kili murmured comfortingly. "I'm here, âzyungâl."

Fili was sure his heart was going to burst from happiness.

#

It was like the world had suddenly come into focus. Yes, the initial shifting into the wolf had left him confused and disoriented, the wolf seizing control in a half-moment of panicking and preparing to defend itself.

Then his eyes had met Fili's.

Every fear and doubt he had ever had had melted away in that moment.

 _Âzyungâl_ , his wolf had all but purred, feline term though it was.

The first thing he realized was that he didn't love Fili more than he had before. It was like the connection had always been there, the love always consuming his soul. It was just sharper, somehow. It was like getting glasses for the first time and seeing the world much clearer. It was the difference between watching television on an old tube TV and then watching on a plasma screen in high definition.

It was different, yet still the same. Nothing had changed except for how Kili saw it.

The bond he had always felt between them had changed from a thread to a steel cable, strong and not easily broken, tethering him to reality, keeping him grounded and able to control the wolf inside him.

Of course, if this all-consuming love was what he felt for his âzyungâl, it wasn't hard for him to figure out that this had to have been what Fili felt for him.

He was instantly ashamed that he had ever doubted Fili's love for him. That he ever thought that Fili would put him aside, cut the bond holding them together and find someone else. The very thought of that made him shudder.

He knew that if the steel-like cord that was their bond ever snapped, it would destroy him. And he knew Fili felt the same way.

So when he shifted back and Fili all but collapsed in his arms, he understood exactly how the blond was feeling.

"I'm okay," Kili murmured, clutching Fili's shaking form to him. "I'm here, âzyungâl."

Fili laughed through his tears, straightening slightly to look up at Kili with joy-filled eyes. "You are," he whispered with a soft smile. "Forever."

Kili was just about to capture the blond's lips with his own when someone cleared their throat loudly to the side of them.

His head snapped towards the stranger in the small clearing, frowning as he took in his unclothed state. He fought down a blush as he realized that he, too, was naked and was pressed tightly against an equally nude Fili.

Now was definitely not the time to think of that.

Fili straightened and turned, taking a half step to stand slightly in front of Kili. The brunet frowned, already foreseeing Fili's protectiveness being an issue in the future. Right now, though, he decided not to worry about it.

Mostly because he didn't see the stranger as a threat.

It was strange. Fili, he knew from his tense shoulders, definitely was on edge by the unknown werewolf's presence. To Kili, though, he just felt _familiar._ Considering he had never seen the man before in his life, it was an odd feeling.

The man held his hands up in a nonthreatening manner. "I'm not going to attack, I promise."

"Who are you?" Fili snapped with a glare. "What do you want?"

The stranger's eyes shifted to Kili before snapping back to Fili at the blond's warning growl. "I'm not here to take your One, Alpha," he placated in a respectful tone. "My name is Dain Ironhill." Kili sucked in a sharp breath as Fili reeled back slightly in shock. "I'm—"

"My father," Kili finished for him in a breathy voice, staring at the older man in shock.

Looking at Dain, he could definitely understand why Elrond had said they looked alike. They had the same eyes, the same small nose, the same high cheek bones. If it wasn't for the man's slightly lined face, Kili would think he was looking the mirror.

It was a wonder he and Fili hadn't noticed it before now, but then again, they had other things they were thinking about.

Fili's glare was back. "And just where have you been all his life?" he asked in an accusing tone.

Dain's face went grim. "I've been Azog's prisoner. Well, more like his plaything," he spat bitterly. He turned sincere eyes to Kili. "I killed his mate years ago, before I met your mother. He's been hunting me ever since. I thought I had shaken him for a while. Then I met your mother…" he sighed heavily. "I caught his scent around her house the day after she told me she was pregnant. I had to protect you both. I thought I could kill him and come back to you. I guess I failed at pretty much everything."

From the pained look on Dain's face, Kili could guess that he knew exactly how his mother had treated him. He didn't ask him about that, though. It felt too cruel. "You were tortured for eighteen years?"

He nodded. "None of it as much as finding out how my disappearance destroyed Tiff," he said sadly. "You've got to believe me, Kili, that your mother _was_ a good person at one time. What she saw as my leaving… it broke her."

"Don't you dare make excuses for her!" Fili snapped. "Not after how she treated her son!"

Dain sighed. "I don't think I'll ever forgive her or myself for the life you've had, Kili," he replied. "I hope you never know how confusing it is to love someone so much after they've caused someone else you love so much needless pain. But you've got your own âzyungâl now, and I know he'll do everything in his power to make you happy."

To Kili, it sounded a little too much like a goodbye to him. "You're leaving?" he asked in a stricken tone, hurt welling within him at the idea of another parent deserting him. "But…"

He swallowed thickly. He wanted to protest that they hadn't gotten a chance to get to know each other. That they had only just met and didn't they deserve a chance to be a family? He bit back all his arguments though.

It hurt, but he had Fili. If his father didn't want to stay and get to know him, he could get over it.

Dain gave him a hopeful look though. "I didn't know if I'd be welcome to stay."

"Do you want to?" Kili asked shyly.

"Kili… you're my son and I love you," he said, not knowing how much those words meant to him. "There's really no place I'd rather be. If that's okay?" he asked, looking at Fili. "I don't want to upset the pack's Alpha."

Fili stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "As long as you swear not to abandon him again," he warned.

Kili rolled his eyes, thinking that Fili was being a little unfair considering Dain had been a prisoner to a sadistic vampire for nearly two decades and had never _really_ abandoned Kili, but he didn't argue with him. Not when he himself was a little afraid that Dain would get tired of playing father to him after a while.

"And he's still living with me," Fili continued with finality.

Kili snorted. "As if that was ever going to change." He didn't even think he _could_ sleep without Fili's arms around him anymore.

Dain gave them a sad smile. "I can't promise I'll be around forever," he said slowly. "Without Tiff, the wolf's kind've… lost the will to go on. Kili's the only thing keeping the wolf from just… letting go."

Kili was aware enough of his own wolf already to know that if the wolf let go, Dain would as well. He felt like his heart was being squeezed painfully. He wasn't really ready to lose his father after just getting him back.

"Well, just keep holding on for me for a while longer, okay?" he asked, knowing it was a lot to ask.

If something were to ever happen to Fili…

Dain smiled at him with a determined glint in his eyes. "I intend to."

tbc…

A/N: Not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but hope you liked it! One, maybe two chapters to go!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

The rest of the pack bursting through the trees and surrounding Dain had been enough to tell Kili that the battle with the other vampires must have been over. While he was glad to see none of the wolves seemed to have been hurt, he couldn't help but be antsy over the fate of his vampire friends, especially Tauriel, as he knew she had been hurt.

After Fili had told the pack to stand down as Dain was on their side, the blond had given a _look_ at his suggestion that they all shift and meet up with the others. Kili just rolled his eyes and shifted despite the look.

Honestly, he thought as he ran ahead with the knowledge that Fili was hot on his feet. Fili was going to have to stop with the overprotectiveness.

 _You nearly_ died _,_ Fili's voice sounded in his head with a desperate note to it. _You can't blame me for being a little cautious._

Kili cringed internally as he realized the entire pack must've heard his petulant mental outburst. Fili was his Alpha. He probably should show more respect to him in front of the others. Probably even in private, just to be safe.

 _Sorry_ , he said, slowing down and letting Fili catch up with him. He could hear the others running near them but keeping a respectful distance.

Fili snorted and nudged his head with his own mid-run. _You have nothing to apologize for_.

 _Can everyone hear us?_ he asked, glancing over at Fili. It was amazing how beautiful his âzyungâl looked running alongside him. It was also pretty amazing how clearly Kili could see him and everything else around them despite running faster than he was sure Fili's truck could drive.

 _No, don't worry_ , Fili assured him. _You have to direct your thoughts at the other wolf for him to hear you_.

 _You heard me before and I didn't mean for you to_ , Kili pointed out.

The golden wolf sent him a smirk that looked oddly fitting on his face. _I think you were directing that thought at me pretty clearly_.

Kili could concede that. They ran in silence for a few moments more before they reached the place they had been originally attacked. The only person there, though, was Elladan, who was supervising a very large bonfire. Despite knowing they were monsters and had to be killed, Kili still found seeing the burning body parts disturbing.

Elladan gave them a grim smile. "The others went ahead to Kili's house," he told them. "I'll be there as soon as I finish up here."

Fili bobbed his head in acknowledgement and they continued on, the rest of the pack staying vigilant in the surrounding trees.

Kili realized with a start that they were still protecting him.

 _Do they think there are more vampires around?_ he asked Fili nervously. He may have been a wolf now, but he wasn't so sure he was ready to face off in a fight with a vampire. Not that he wanted to admit that to Fili. Not when he had just inadvertently snapped at him for being overprotective.

 _They're being cautious_ , Fili replied as they neared the house. _I told Dwalin to take the others and search the nearby woods once we get to the house._

Kili didn't ask why they weren't going to search the woods as well. He knew very well that Fili would probably have a coronary at the idea of him purposefully going somewhere there _might_ be vampires. Well, evil vampires at least. Now that he was a wolf, it was an attitude that Fili would have to eventually get over, but Kili could understand why that might not be so easy at the moment.

Fili pulled up short at the edge of the trees near Kili's house, causing Kili to skid to a stop as well.

 _What's wrong?_

The golden wolf looked at him. _We don't have any clothes_.

Kili rolled his eyes. _That didn't stop you from shifting in front of the wolves before. What's different now?_ Fili didn't answer but looked sheepish. Kili barked a laugh. _You're worried about my modesty_.

Kili wasn't thrilled with the idea of parading naked in front of his friends either. Not when he knew that, despite his transformation, he was still way too skinny and there were a couple of scars on his body that he _really_ didn't want to answer any questions about.

Add to that them all seeing _Fili_ naked, and he was quite opposed to the idea as well.

Thankfully, they didn't have to debate too long over what to do before an unfamiliar dark-vampire with golden eyes darted out of the house towards them. She was in front of them in a flash, smiling warmly at them as she lay a couple of sets of clothes at their feet.

"I saw you from the window," she explained. "Daddy told me that you probably would want clothes. And Papa seemed to want you to _have_ clothes," she added mischievously. "I'll leave you to get dressed."

"Who was that?" Fili asked after they had shifted back.

"I think Arwen," Kili answered, grabbing a pair of pants and carefully not looking at Fili. Seeing all that skin made him _want_ and now was not the time. "Pretty sure she was talking about Elrond and Thranduil."

The blond snorted as he pulled on a pair of pants. "Figures."

The first thing Kili noticed when he walked into the house behind Fili was that Tauriel looked more annoyed than hurt, to his profound relief. She was propped up on the sofa, leg and arm tightly bound in stiff bandages.

"Elrohir!" she snapped with a roll of her eyes. "My bones are practically healed already so would you _please_ stop fussing!" Her annoyance vanished, though, as she spotted Fili and Kili. "Kili! You're okay!"

"Are all the wolves well?" Legolas asked urgently.

Fili nodded. "The pack is well. They're just searching the woods to see if we missed any stragglers."

"You won't find any," a dark-haired man said from his place next to the girl Kili assumed was Arwen. Two other unfamiliar blond vampires stood near them, a man and a woman. "If there are any that ran, they would have run towards the water."

"The water?" Fili asked sharply.

"It's something we didn't consider before," Elrond admitted, face full of regret. "Vampires can swim hundreds of miles without tiring. And we don't need to breathe. Aragorn found evidence that the other vampires had been lying in wait just off the shore."

"So while the pack was patrolling the lands surrounding the reservation, the vampires were in our water?!" Fili cried, a pained note in his voice as he stepped closer to Kili and wrapped a tight arm around his waist. "They were so close the whole time?"

Kili felt sick knowing how close the people who wanted to kill him had been. If Fili had been just a little less protective…

"Not the whole time," the unfamiliar blond man told him. "They would not have waited long to attack if they had had the numbers. I would guess that the entire coven joined them not more than a couple of days ago."

"So they're all gone now?" Kili asked hopefully.

"I think it's a safe bet," the dark-haired vampire he assumed was Aragorn said. "And if any ran away, I don't think they'll be coming back in a hurry."

He sagged into Fili's side, glad to hear that they wouldn't have to deal with any more vampires looking to kill them for now at least. He suddenly felt exhausted as the day's events caught up with him.

Whatever else might have been said was interrupted by the triumph howls of wolves outside before Dwalin proudly strode into the house without a stitch of clothing on.

"There aren't any vampires left anywhere near our lands," he told Fili seriously before giving a sardonic glance around the room. "Well, except for the ones on our side."

The vampires present, save for Thranduil, seemed amused by the comment. "Well," Elrond announced, stepping forward with a smile. "Now that the danger is passed, I think your pack has earned a well-deserved rest."

"I think that sounds like a good idea," Fili agreed, making to steer Kili towards his bedroom.

Kili pulled away slightly and grabbed Fili's hand, giving him an imploring look that he hoped the blond understood.

He couldn't sleep here. It was different before, when they had no other option and he felt like he was dying anyway. But now? On top of everything that had happened today? He didn't know if his heart could take staying the night in the place that had always brought him so much pain.

Fili gave him a concerned look before nodding. "I think we'll all be more comfortable in our own beds."

Kili could feel the eyes of everyone on him, but was extremely grateful that none of them commented.

"Come on," Fili said gently tugging him towards the door before turning back to the vampires. "Thank you. I know you put your own lives on the line for ours. We won't forget that."

Surprisingly, it was Thranduil who answered. "We're family now. We take care of our own," he told them, tone making it extremely clear that he thought Fili was stupid for even thinking gratitude was needed.

Kili chuckled weakly at that. "Well I'm thankful anyway," he replied. "Family doesn't always take care of each other like that."

Tauriel sat up straighter from her position on the couch and scowled. "Well _this_ family does," she said emphatically.

He shot her a small smile as Fili led him outside, taking his head and leading him towards the woods once more. "Are you too tired to shift and run?" he asked, placing both hands on Kili's shoulders.

Truth be told, he was. His exhaustion had hit him _hard_. It wasn't surprising, considering all that had happened in the last twenty four hours. Between his illness and his seizure and what he was pretty sure was his momentary death before shifting, it would probably have been strange if Kili _weren't_ exhausted.

Before he could answer, Fili swooped him off his feet and into his arms.

"Hey!" Kili protested in surprise, scrambling to throw his arms around Fili's neck.

"You were swaying on your feet," the blond pointed out, striding through trees easily, as if he wasn't carrying another man bridal style. "I'm not about to make you run all the way home."

"You were up all night," Kili argued, though he was probably undermining his position by letting his head flop down on Fili's shoulder. "You fought a bunch of vampires… You were _hurt_!" He started at this last realization of his and looked up at Fili in concern. "You were thrown into a tree!"

"Pretty sure your heart stopped. I win," Fili said matter-of-factly.

He snorted. "Worst contest ever," he muttered, laying his head back on Fili's shoulder in defeat. "You're really going to carry me five miles?"

"I did it once before," he quipped back, smirking down at Kili. "Though I'm happy to say you weigh a bit more this time around."

He blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry I doubted your love before," he whispered softly. "I just…"

"You don't have to apologize," Fili told him gently. "I understand. I always understand."

"I'm also sorry about undermining your authority with the pack earlier," Kili adding, figuring it was best to get all his apologies out of the way while he was still awake. Which was difficult, considering how his eyelids were drooping dangerously.

He gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"When I shifted when you didn't want me to," he explained.

Fili shook his head. "You didn't 'undermine' my authority," he said incredulously. "First of all, I'm not sure I have any authority. And even if I _did_ , pretty sure you couldn't undermine it."

"You're the Alpha. Course you have authority," he muttered, eyelids finally sliding shut though he held onto consciousness a little longer.

"Sure. Just sleep, okay? I'll get us home."

Unable to argue with that, Kili let the rocking motion caused by Fili's steps lull him to sleep.

#

Fili woke slowly, smiling as he became aware of Kili's warm body tucked against him. After being so scared he was going to lose him, it was hard to believe that the younger man was here, alive and well in his arms.

He just lay there for he didn't know how long, watching his âzyungâl's chest rise and fall with his breath. He didn't know if he had ever seen anything more beautiful.

His smile widened as Kili's dark eyes fluttered opened and focused on him.

"How long have you been staring creepily at me while I sleep?" he asked with a smirk as he burrowed deeper into Fili's embrace.

"Probably an inappropriate length of time," he quipped back, dropping a kiss to the top of Kili's head.

"I knew it," he murmured, closing his eyes once more. "So creepy."

"You love me."

Kili smiled against his chest. "I do. Just as much as you love me."

The certainty in Kili's voice caused his smile to widen into a grin. After the heartbreak in his voice just yesterday, when he begged Fili to never leave him, it was good to know that Kili was more secure in Fili's love.

They lay there a few moments more before Fili sighed. "I've got to call Thorin and let him know what happened."

"What did happen?" Kili asked, giving him a puzzled look. "I thought I was dying. Why did I shift?"

"Can we not talk about you dying?" Fili asked, hating the reminder of that awful moment when Kili had stopped breathing in his arms. "I don't really care how it happened. As long as you're alive."

"Does this mean you're going to let me fight vampires with you?"

Fili bit his lip at that. He hadn't thought of what shifting meant for Kili. The thought of letting Kili anywhere near bloodthirsty vampires went against all his instincts.

Some of his thoughts must have shown on his face, because Kili sat up and gave him an unimpressed stare. "Fili, the werewolves were meant to fight vampires. That's the entire reason for shifting. It's the only purpose we exist!"

"It is _not_ the only reason you exist," he stated firmly with a frown before sighing and sitting up as well. "But I get what you mean. And I'm not going to keep you from fighting vampires. I'm not going to like it, but I won't stop you."

"Not thrilled about you fighting them either," Kili told him. "But we can't let innocent people continue to be attacked."

"I know," Fili agreed, wrapping an arm around Kili's shoulders. He then gave him a teasing smile. "We're going to need a hobby anyway. What with living together forever and all."

Kili looked up at him through his lashes and smirked. "I can think of a few ways to pass that kind of time."

"Oh really?" he asked playfully despite the heat of arousal shooting through him. "Maybe you could give me some suggestions?"

The brunet grinned and swung a leg over Fili's lap to straddle it. "Well now that we're _finally_ alone, maybe I could just show you?"

Fili groaned and surged forward to capture Kili's lips in his own.

His conversation with Thorin would just have to wait.

tbc…

A/N: Epilogue coming soon!


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue

****10 Years Later****

"This doesn't seem… excessive… to you?" Kili couldn't help asking his Alpha and One as they exited the truck and gazed around them at the compound.

Compound was probably the wrong word, even if it had been the one that had been using for the past year in reference to their new home in North Dakota. Kili was pretty sure that this many buildings clustered together constituted a town. Or at least a village.

"Well, there are nineteen of us, and if any of us want any privacy, then each couple needs a house of their own," Fili reasoned. "We'd go crazy without it. And we obviously need a place to gather together. And Elrond needs a place to patch us in case a leech gets… _lucky_."

The last word he ground out as if it pained him to say, and Kili couldn't help but grimace. He knew exactly what Fili was thinking about. A few years ago, a vampire had managed to get its teeth in Kili's flank while he, Fili, Dwalin, and Ori were taking down what they thought was two vampires in Colorado. The third vampire had surprised them, jumping on Kili before any of them had a chance to react.

Fili had been _livid_. Needless to say, the vamps hadn't lasted long after that. Kili hadn't been in any condition to move, though, so Elrond ran down from Washington to patch him up. If he hadn't gotten there as quickly as he had, Kili was sure he would have bled out in the Rockies, despite his healing factor.

Kili wasn't really sure how a doctor's office in their new compound was going to be helpful in that kind of situation, but there were bound to be injuries that wouldn't require such immediate treatment.

"So I can understand the need for all the buildings," he conceded. "But did the whole thing have to be so… opulent?"

"It's not that bad," Fili said with a shrug.

Kili gave him a disbelieving look. "There is a courtyard with a fountain. And why are all the houses so big? _Two_ people are going to live in each one!"

The blond laughed and slung an arm over Kili's shoulders. "Okay, maybe it is a bit much, but you know how Thranduil is. And I'm pretty sure Celeborn and Galadriel are only _slightly_ better. But it doesn't hurt anything, especially since they're the ones who built the entire thing."

Kili had to agree with that. If the pack had been on their own, they'd never be able to afford to build anywhere near what this place cost, even if it were smaller and more simply built. It would have taken them decades to establish a headquarters like this.

And now that they had caught wind that rumors of their hunting had been spreading through the vampire covens of North America, well, it was best to have a place to retreat to that was isolated and wouldn't put any mortals in danger.

"Kili! Fili!" the jovial voices of Tauriel and Elrohir greeted them as they appeared at the door of the nearest house. "You made it! Welcome to Rivendell!"

"What took you so long?" Tauriel asked with a frown as she sidled up to them. "The rest of the pack got here yesterday."

"We had a few things to go over with Erebor's Council," Fili explained. "We wanted to make sure that all the safeguards were in place to have us informed in case other wolves shifted."

"And you just did it now?" Elrohir asked in disbelief.

Kili rolled his eyes. "No, they did it weeks ago. Fili wanted to go over things for a fourth time just to be sure."

Fili mock glared at him. "I just want to make sure that no one is left behind," he said, his eyes softening as he continued to gaze at Kili. "That no one ever feels like they don't belong."

He smiled at his âzyungâl. "I haven't felt like that since I met you," he told him softly.

"Good," Fili said, grinning back at him while heat flared in his eyes. Kili couldn't help holding that gaze as desire shot through him.

"How about we show you which house is yours before you let this moment go somewhere we don't want to see?" Elrohir interrupted with a smirk.

Kili blushed before glaring at his two vampire friends, who were sending them both knowing looks.

Elrohir and Tauriel led them to the house just to the right of the large gathering hall in the back of the compound.

"The walls are mostly sound proof," Tauriel told them as they opened the door and swept inside. "As long as you keep the noise to human-level decibels. Which means if there's ever any trouble, you'll either have to open a window, use a phone, or shift and howl," she added with a smirk.

"The kitchen is fully stocked," Elrohir continued. "We're going to plan to do a supply run every two weeks to replenish our stock, but there's also a bunker of nonperishables underneath the gathering hall for emergencies. If anyone needs anything else, there'll be a list in the gathering hall that anyone can add to."

"Or, you know, you can just go out and get it yourselves if you fancy a two and half hour drive," Tauriel said with a laugh.

Elrohir snorted. "Which they might, considering how sick of each other we might all get."

"Is the internet up and running yet?" Kili asked, poking his head in the living room and making an impressed face at the large flat screen on the wall as well as the comfortable looking couch that he really couldn't wait to break in properly.

"Yeah, and Ori and Arwen are already scouring the web looking for suspected vampire activity," Elrohir answered.

That had been an unlikely friendship, but the beautiful brunette vampire had clicked immediately with the geeky werewolf, bonding over a shared love of the Linux, Star Trek Generations, and logic puzzles.

Yeah, Kili didn't understand it either. However, they had become masters at spotting where vampires were attacking. Of course, Dain's insights had also been extremely helpful there.

Kili had been thrilled that his father had stuck around this long. He knew how hard it was for him to go on with his One gone, but it meant the world to him that he had held on for him. Kili one that the day would come that Dain would stop shifting and allow death to take him, and he was afraid that day would come sooner than he wanted, but he was going to cherish the time they had together.

"When did we decide on calling the compound Rivendell?" Fili asked, breaking through his thoughts.

"The people we bought the land from called the area Rivendell," Elrohir explained. "The parcel actually stretches from Pembina River to the Tongue River, and it's kind of in a little valley like a dell so I guess the name makes sense."

"Enough about that, though. We'll leave you two to settle in," Tauriel said, shooting Kili a wink. Before either werewolf could get a further word in, the vampires had disappeared.

Fili snorted. "Settle in. Like those meddling vampires hadn't had us packed and unpacked here before we even left the reservation."

Kili laughed, turning to his One and throwing his arms around his neck. He smirked when Fili's arms snaked around his waist and pulled him flush against the blond's body. "Well that meddling means we have time for something… else… right now," he quipped suggestively.

He couldn't hold in his gasp, though, as Fili's strong hands suddenly gripped his ass and _lifted_. He wrapped his legs around the blond's waist instinctively, groaning at the pressure that created on his rapidly growing arousal.

"Well, I propose we put that time to good use," Fili replied with a smirk, wasting no time in carrying his âzyungâl to the bedroom.

#

Fili sighed as pulled the nude body of his dozing One closer. Kili muttered in his sleep and turned his head to nuzzle into Fili's chest, but he didn't wake.

He was glad to be away from Erebor, for Kili's sake at least. That place held too many bad memories for it to ever really feel like home to his âzyungâl, not that the brunet would ever admit it. And while he was nowhere near confident enough in his ability to run the pack, he was glad he had made the decision to move them to Rivendell.

If he were a better Alpha, he probably wouldn't be letting the vampires make so many decisions for them. But they weren't just a pack anymore. They were a family, which the vampires were an equal part of. And no quirk of biology gave him any sort authority over the Peredhels, after all.

"You're brooding," Kili said suddenly, eyes still closed as the corners of his lips quirked upwards. He peeked one eye open. "Wanna talk about it?"

He sighed again. "Just thinking about the whole Alpha thing, you know?"

Kili sat up suddenly and looked down at him seriously. "Stop right there," he ordered, unsurprisingly considering how well Kili knew his insecurities. "You're a _good_ Alpha. You're a good leader. You were chosen to lead the pack for a reason."

Fili snorted. "I wasn't _chosen_. I was just born this way," he spat bitterly.

His One poked him roughly in chest with determination in his eyes. "We were _all_ chosen for this. The magic _chose_ us to be werewolves and hunt vampires, and it gave us everything we needed to succeed. It gave us our âzyungâl to live beside us forever, it gave us our extended vampire family, and it gave us a strong, open-minded Alpha that would be able to get us through the long centuries ahead."

He raised an eyebrow at the brunet. "Do you really believe that?"

Kili gave him a beatific smile before leaning down so that there lips were millimeters apart. "I really do," he breathed before closing the distance between their lips.

Fili moaned into the kiss, reaching up to tangle his hands in his âzyungâl's dark hair and keep him close even as their lips broke apart.

"Do you believe it?" Kili asked, resting his forehead against Fili's. "Do you believe in yourself?"

Fili closed his eyes and breathed in the rich scent of his âzyungâl all around him. "I can believe anything as long as you're here with me."

"I'm never going anywhere," his âzyungal promised. "I will love you forever."

The blond smiled as he opened his eyes to look up at Kili. "Forever."

Fin.


End file.
